


Freckles, Magic and Police Tape

by lahoera, prompom



Series: Stand By Me [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminal Minds Setting, Background Relationships, Cor Leonis Adopts Prompto Argentum, Crimes & Criminals, Dad! Cor, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Multiple Crossovers, Older Gladiolus Amicitia, Older Ignis Scientia, Older Noctis Lucis Caelum, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rated For Violence, Torture, Violence, details of injuries, dub con kissing, referenced dub con sex, references to self harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 21:53:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 80,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15782850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lahoera/pseuds/lahoera, https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompom/pseuds/prompom
Summary: Dr. Prompto Argentum is the newest member of the Lucian Bureau of Investigation. He's fresh out of University and eager to make his mark. However, what he wasn't expecting was to find evidence of a serial killer in Lucis, or to meet Noctis Lucis Caelum.





	1. Chapter 1

_Noctis is twelve. There's a loud bang from downstairs. Clarus wasn't there - it was Gladio’s birthday. Regis grabbed Noctis by the shoulders. His grey eyes narrowed sharply as he looked into Noctis’ eyes._

_“Noct, hide and do not come out, no matter what.”_

_There was some more banging followed by the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps making their way up the staircase. They were making no effort to be quiet._

_“Dad…?” Noctis began, but was interrupted by Regis pushing him towards his bedroom closet._

_“Do not argue with me on this Noctis Lucis Caelum, hide and do not come out, promise me." Regis said, hastily shoving Noctis in and shutting the door gently behind him._

_Heart pounding, Noctis hesitantly sat on the floor and shifted to hide his figure behind his father's large coats the best that he could, flinching in fear when he hears the door to the bedroom being slammed open. Noctis could hear his father speaking with someone faintly beyond the door and strained his ears in an attempt to hear more clearly. The intruder sounded very angry._

_Noctis tucked his head into his knees and covered his ears._

_There was a sound which Noctis recognised as the sound of a sword being drawn. He scrunched his eyes tighter and tried to block out the commotion outside the cupboard._

_He could hear the muffled sound of his father’s voice talking again before suddenly, there was a loud thump and the cupboard door shuddered. Noctis whimpered quietly and curled more tightly around himself. After a few silent moments, he felt something wet land on the back of his head. His hands were trembling as he lifted them slowly to inspect the area. It was warm._

_His head snapped upwards in confusion to see a blade sticking through the door of the cupboard. In the sliver of light poking through the cracks of the door, he could faintly make out that the blade was covered with a dark substance. With a start he realised it was blood, flinching as some specks landed on his face._

_After what felt like hours of staring at the intrusion of the sharp blade and wiping away the blood from his face with shaking hands, Noctis was snapped back to reality when he heard the front door slam. He could hear someone calling out his father's name, and then his own. He sat in absolute silence, looking at the door in fear._

_There was some commotion on the other side of the door. Someone had removed the sword. The door opened. A man Noctis didn't recognise was standing there. He knelt down and looked at Noctis with pity in his eyes._

_“Hello, my name is Cor Leonis, are you Noctis by any chance?”_

_He answered with a choked sob._

 

Noctis woke with a gasp, coughing as he tried to catch his breath. It was the same nightmare he had every night but he still wasn't used to it. He still woke up shaking and covered in sweat, half convinced he could feel his father's blood on his hands. In his hair. 

He had to scrub himself until his skin was red and sore in a scalding shower for half an hour before the feeling would subside. With a tired sigh, he turned off the faucet and started to towel himself dry before getting ready for work. Specs had said something about a new guy joining their division and asked him not to be late for a change. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with a newbie or the wrath of Ignis if he was late, again.

—

Prompto was nervous. It was his first day of working as a member of the LBI, or Lucian Bureau of Investigation, taking up the role of behavioural expert.

He fiddled with the strap of his leather bracelet as he waited patiently. His supervisor, Ignis Scientia, had told him to sign in at reception and wait for him there. Monica, the receptionist, typed rapidly on her keyboard, only looking away from the screen to quickly shuffle through a large stack of paper.

With a quick glance around the room, he caught his reflection in the window opposite and realised that his knitted rainbow sweater clashed with the rest of his outfit. In a panic, Prompto hastily straightened his pink polka dot bow tie and flattened the collar of his pastel blue shirt; this wasn't the outfit of a member of the LBI, he thought to himself. He looked like a five year old that had just picked their own outfit for the first time.

Just as he started to break out in a nervous sweat, a tall man wearing glasses dressed in a well-fitted suit entered the small reception area and began to approach him. Prompto stood up quickly and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. The stylish man held out his gloved hand to Prompto for a handshake.

“You must be Dr. Argentum." he began, smiling politely. 

“Hi, yes that’s me! Just Prompto is fine." 

Prompto let out a nervous chuckle as he gripped the man's hand in a firm handshake.

“I'm Ignis Scientia, if you'd follow me I will show you to your workstation."

Prompto gathered up his bags and followed, having to hurry to keep up with Ignis’ larger strides. They turned down a long corridor and about halfway down, they stopped at a door to the left.

“Just in here,” Ignis stated.

Prompto quickly nodded his head in acknowledgement as Ignis pushed open the door.

Inside were four large desks, two women sat at one towards the front of the room. The most prominent figure in the room, however, was the man sleeping in his chair at the back of the room. His head was leaning back in an uncomfortable looking angle, mouth open as he snored loudly. He had chin length black hair that covered his ears and a day or two worth of stubble on his face. He was dressed in all black; black shirt, black tie, black trousers, black shoes, black socks – the works. The two women were sitting about ten feet away, trying to throw screwed up paper balls into his mouth. One of the women had long grey hair and was wearing an outfit extremely impractical for field work, including thigh high boots with a six inch heel. The other woman was dressed a lot more sensibly in a black blouse and red skirt paired with flat ballet shoes. Her hair was a dark brown and styled into a short bob. The floor around the sleeping man was littered with paper balls, as well as his chest and lap.

“Iris, Aranea act your age." Ignis sighed.

The woman with the bob stifled her giggles behind her hand.

“It’s not our fault Specs, look at him and try to tell me you wouldn’t.” the other woman replied coolly.

Ignis pinched his nose in frustration.

“Can we just act like professionals here?”

The girl who was giggling threw one more paper ball. It landed squarely in the man’s mouth. He made a small choking sound and quickly sat upright, the paper ball falling out of his mouth. He picked up the slightly damp ball and squinted at it through bleary eyes, briefly glancing at the mess of paper scattered around him before snapping his head to the side to glare at the guilty party. He opened his mouth to say something but Ignis cleared his throat loudly, stopping the inevitable argument in its tracks .

“Everyone, this is Dr. Prompto Argentum, the newest member of the team. I expect you all to make him feel welcome here."

Prompto could feel the heat rush to his cheeks as he began blushing furiously. He wasn’t used to attention and all three of them were now focused on him.

“Just Prompto is fine." he repeated.

The woman with grey hair raised a hand after looking at him from head to toe. 

“How old are you Prompto? You look twelve and dress like a confused toddler.”

Prompto blushed harder opened his mouth to answer but Ignis cut him off. 

“Prompto is twenty four and the youngest person in Lucian history to get two doctorates so show him a little respect please Aranea."

The other woman bounced over and shook his hand as she smiled at him warmly.

“I'm Iris Amicitia, it’s so lovely to meet you!”

“That there is Noctis Lucis Caelum." Ignis added, gesturing to the once sleeping man who was now grumpily picking up the paper balls from around him.

“I'll take you to meet the rest of the team in just a moment, but first, here is your desk." 

He lead Prompto over to the desk opposite from the man who he now knew as Noctis and across from Iris’. Prompto put his bags down beside what will be his chair and followed Ignis to the door at the back of the room. 

Inside were a man and a woman. It took Prompto a moment to realise they were kissing. 

“Lunafreya! Nyx!” Ignis scolded harshly. 

They both jumped apart and quickly turned to Ignis with sheepish grins.

“I ask that you please refrain from such activities in the workplace."

The girl giggled as they turned to approach Ignis and Prompto.

“I'm Nyx and this is my room," the man said in a gruff voice.

He was tall, taller than Ignis. His dark hair was shaved at the sides, longer on the top and there was a braid on the right side. He had a few small tattoos on his face. He sighed dramatically. 

“Without me this place would fall apart.”

Ignis hummed sarcastically at the mans remark.

“Well this here is Dr. Prompto Argentum, he's our new behavioural expert.” 

Prompto took in the room with a quick glance around him. There were ten computer monitors set up around a desk. All the screens were displaying never ending lines of text, apart from one which just had a standard start up screen.

“Oh, uh, just Prompto is fine.” he said once again as he turned to face couple in front of him. 

“Nice to meet you Prompto! My name is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret but you can just call me Luna,” The woman began. She had beautiful blue eyes with golden hair pulled up into a high ponytail with a few strands loose and falling to frame her kind face. “And this is Nyx Ulric, my boyfriend.” she finished with a smile.

Nyx, as she had called him, nodded once in Prompto’s direction in greeting as Luna removed his arm from around her waist. 

He walked back over to his workstation and sat down, cracking his knuckles. 

“Suppose we better get on with it.” he sighed.

Ignis beckoned for Prompto to follow him and Luna followed close behind as they turned to retreat back into the main office area. 

“I've got us a case Ignis,” she said.

“Excellent. I'll gather the team for briefing.” 

As they re-entered the office, they halted at the sight of Noctis and Aranea having a fight, one in which Noctis seemed to be losing. Prompto saw the five stages of grief flash across Ignis’ face as he looked at them, but ultimately deciding to ignore their spat. 

“Briefing room everyone.” Ignis said, not waiting for them to acknowledge him as he turned towards what Prompto assumed was the briefing room.

Aranea loosened her grip from Noctis’ collar and let him drop unceremoniously to the floor as she turned to follow. Iris quickly helped Noctis back up.

The briefing room doubled as Luna’s office. In the centre of the room there was a large, rectangular table. The wall to the left had a large cork board which had a cluster of brightly coloured pins tacked to the corner of it whilst the wall at the back of the room had a interactive whiteboard. There was a projector hanging from the ceiling.

Prompto waited until everyone else had sat down before sitting down himself. He assumed that everyone would have their own spot at the table and he didn't want to inadvertently steal someone's seat. He ended up sat between Noctis and Ignis.

With a few clicks on her computer, Luna loaded up a PowerPoint presentation that projected onto the whiteboard. She picked up a small remote from the table and pressed a button making the image of a man who appeared to have pale skin with blonde hair and green eyes pop up on the screen.

“This is Marche Radiuju,” Luna began. “He was reported missing for a week before his body was discovered in the Nebulawood of Duscae.”

Luna pressed the button again, this time making a grim crime scene image appear.

“He was eviscerated and had received multiple stab wounds to the chest. Local police have requested our help due to the lack of physical evidence.”

“What was it that killed him?” Ignis asked as he thoughtfully tapped his pen against his chin.

Luna handed them each a copy of the police files.

“It says here that the cause of death was evisceration, the stabbing was post mortem which the coroner estimates happened about three hours after the time of death. Also, it was with a sword which is an unusual method of stabbing someone. It takes a lot of physical strength to stab someone straight through with a sword”

Prompto looked at the photos in the file. They were gruesome to say the least. The entire scene surrounding the body was covered in blood and parts of the body that definitely shouldn't be outside. 

“What do you think Prompto?” Ignis asked, surveying him over his glasses.

“Uhm, the post mortem stabbing is unusual. Especially since it occurred so long after the victim had already died.” 

Prompto shuffled the papers looking for the coroner's report. 

“It says here he that was dead for only twenty four hours before he was found, so where was he during the time he was reported missing?”

“There's no evidence of ligature marks and the tox screen came up clean.” Noctis piped up.

“If he wasn't tied up or drugged, how the hell did they keep him captive?” Aranea questioned.

“That's what we’re going to have to find out,” Ignis replied. “Noctis, Aranea and Prompto, get to the scene. Iris, Lunafreya and myself will go to the station in Duscae.”

Noctis groaned as he stood. “It's like a full day's drive to the Nebulawood.”

Ignis sighed. “I think you'll find it's five hours, and I don't want any of you driving for more than two hours at a time. I don't trust you to pay attention for any longer than that.”

“Wow thanks for the vote of confidence Specs." Aranea grumbled.

“We’ll have to do the drive in shifts, can you drive Prompto?” Noctis asked, scratching the back of his neck as he looked down at Prompto still sat next to him.

“I have my licence,” Prompto replied shyly, fiddling with his paperwork, “but I haven't driven in a while."

“It's fine, there's not much traffic in Leide anyway." Noctis said, stretching his arms above his head. “Aranea can get us to Leide, you can drive through Leide and I'll take over in Duscae. That sound good?”

“Fine with me.” Prompto agreed, biting on his bottom lip as he nodded, making a few strands of hair that were pushed back fall down to tickle at his brow. Noctis found himself staring at the offending hair with slightly furrowed brows, the urge to brush them back making his hand twitch. He quickly looked away before Prompto or anyone else could notice.

“First, we'll need to get an overnight bag." Luna said, gathering up paperwork and putting it into a briefcase. “Make sure you have your mission briefings as well.”

Before he could leave, Ignis grabbed Prompto by the shoulder making him turn around. In Ignis’ hands there was a gun and a badge which he held out towards Prompto. 

“Here,” he said. “These are yours. Welcome to the team, Prompto.” 

Ignis smiled kindly as Prompto thanked him, taking his new equipment before dashing back to his desk and gathering up his bags. Noctis then beckoned for him to follow and the three of them headed down to the garage. Noctis lead them to a convertible. It was sleek and black with a intricate dark purple decal. Prompto started to panic a little; he definitely wasn’t experienced enough to be driving a car this expensive.

Noctis tapped on the hood then threw the keys to Aranea as she opened the door on the drivers side. Noctis climbed into the passenger seat as Prompto got settled in the back. Aranea buckled in her seatbelt and then pressed a button which made the roof of the car open. 

“Okay shortcake, you're going to have to direct me to your place.” 

It took Prompto a minute to realise that he was shortcake. After giving his address they set out. It was only a quick five minute drive to Prompto’s house. He dashed in and packed two of everything that he would need for the trip, stopping to consider leaving a note for his father but deciding on calling him instead as to not waste any more time. 

“Hey Prom-pom how's your first day of work?” his dad answered. 

Prompto groaned internally and hoped Aranea never caught wind of ‘Prom-pom’

“It's going great, we're heading out to a case in Duscae now so I won't be home for dinner.” Prompto replied as he climbed into the car. Noctis noticed he was on the phone and motioned for Aranea to keep quiet.

“Are you sure you'll be okay?” his father asked concerned, Prompto could just picture the worry on his face.

“I promise I'll be fine, I'll call again tonight before I go to bed.” Prompto reassured him.

“Okay, love you Prom-pom.”

“Love you too, dad." Prompto said before hanging up.

Aranea wiped away a fake tear. “That was the most precious thing I've ever heard.”

—

The drive out of Insomnia was uneventful, apart from Aranea’s random bouts of road rage. At one point Prompto was wholly convinced she would run someone over, but Noctis just laughed in the passenger seat.

When they reached the checkpoint at Ostium Gorge, Aranea pulled over to swap places with Prompto. He was nervous, he had only driven the car with his instructor or his Dad in the passenger seat, and Noctis was strangely distracting.

“Ready?” Noctis asked. Prompto nodded and tightened his hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. Noctis laughed.

“Dude, you need to relax. I'll give you directions.”

“We better stop in Hammerhead and get gas.” Aranea pointed out before laying down and getting comfy in the back seat.

“Right, just keep going straight until you see the sign for Hammerhead, you can’t miss it.”

They managed to make it to the Nebulawood with no major incidents. Prompto checked his watch, they only had about an hour at the crime scene before they had to head over to the station to meet up with Ignis and the others.

There were a couple of police officers guarding the tape. Approaching, they showed their badges. Prompto fumbled with his for a moment. An officer nodded, lifting the tape for them to climb under and then leading them towards where the body was found before wishing them luck and leaving them alone.

Prompto pulled out his notebook and started to make notes about the location. There was a ruin about a hundred yards away. The area wasn’t exactly secluded, with there being a chocobo ranch nearby, but it was still eerily quiet. There were several public footpaths nearby and the trees were widely spaced apart from each other with very little vegetation surrounding the area. You could even see the road from where he was stood. 

Aranea knelt down to inspect a small amount of blood still on the floor. “He definitely wasn't killed here; there's hardly any blood.” she pointed out.

“There's a lot of blood at the ruins," an officer said as he joined the three. “We're thinking that's where he was killed.”

“Aranea, you keep looking around here." Noctis said before leading Prompto up the hill to the ruins.

The officer was right, there was a lot of blood here. In the centre of the puddle of blood, there was something round. A coin maybe?

Prompto pulled on a pair of latex gloves and grabbed an evidence bag before carefully picking up the coin. The coin was sticky with partially dried blood and the scent of copper was overpowering. Prompto fought against the overwhelming urge to gag.

Noctis walked over just as Prompto started to examine the object. “What is it?”

“Some kind of coin.” Prompto answered as he dropped it into the evidence bag. “I don't think it being here is a coincidence.”

Aranea joined them and together they combed the area for a while longer, but finding nothing else of significance. 

“Suppose we better get to the station, or Specs is gonna flip.” Noctis yawned, looking at the darkening sky. Aranea drove them to the station and by the time they got there, it was fully dark. Prompto was exhausted but they still had to brief the rest of the team.

Ignis seemed intrigued by the coin but agreed it was better to discuss it in the morning. “Okay so Luna, Aranea and Iris will share one room. Noctis. Prompto and myself will share another. We'll meet here at nine o'clock, I'll get us breakfast for then. Goodnight everyone.”

It was strange for Prompto to share a room with two people he barely knew. The room wasn't exactly big either; it just about managed to cram three double beds into it with a small amount of room to walk between them. There was an ensuite bathroom, the door to which was near the bed Noctis had claimed. 

They took turns changing in the bathroom. Prompto wore an old t-shirt of his dads that was ridiculously baggy on him and a pair of shorts, Noctis also wore shorts and a t-shirt which was unsurprisingly all black and Ignis wore actual pyjamas that were light blue. He removed his glasses and climbed under the covers. He waited until they all were tucked in, then switched off the lights with a soft “goodnight”.

Prompto quickly typed out a text to his dad. _I'm okay, just really tired. Sorry I can't call. Everyone's asleep. Love you._

Within a few seconds he replied; _I hope you aren't gone for long, the house is way too quiet without you. Love Dad._

Prompto fell asleep with his phone in his hand and a smile on his face.  
—

Ignis woke Noctis up the next morning. “C'mon Noct, you're the last one in bed. Again"

Noctis groaned as he sat up. “Please don't go back to sleep while I shower” Ignis pleaded.

It took Noctis a moment to realise that Prompto wasn't in the room. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the door to the room opened and Prompto walked in. Noctis’s mouth went dry. Prompto had been sweating and his clothes stuck to him like glue, showing every inch of his lithe body. His cheeks were a little flushed as well. “Good morning Noctis." he chirped.

“Mornings are never good." Noctis grumbled before climbing out of bed. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, I just went for my morning run." he replied as he searched through his bag for his clothes.

“How are you such a morning person?” Noctis asked.

Prompto shrugged and blushed again. He blushed a lot, Noctis noticed, and it was cute. “I always have been."

At that moment Ignis came out if the bathroom, he was fully dressed and drying his hair with a towel. No matter how many times Noctis had seen it, he still thought that Ignis looked weird without his glasses. “Prompto can go next." Noctis said, getting back under the covers.

Prompto thanked him and gathered up his stuff. Ignis looked over and noticed Noctis under the duvet. He sighed and nimbly stepped around the beds. “Get up please Noctis." he said as he yanked the duvet off. “I need to go and get breakfast for everyone and I can’t do that if you’re going back to sleep as soon as my back is turned.”

“I'm not going back to sleep, I'm just getting comfy while I wait." 

Ignis sighed louder. “Noctis, please."

Noctis moaned continuously but did as he was told. Ignis styled his hair and put on his glasses before giving a warning look to Noctis and stepping out of the room. He was tempted to get back into bed but just the thought of the scolding he would get from Specs if he was to return and found him in bed made him think twice.

Prompto came out of the shower about ten minutes later and Noctis tried to ignore the way Prompto’s face was still flushed from the heat of the shower, making his freckles stand out more, as he made to take his turn. Noctis realised as he was pulling off his t-shirt that Prompto had freckles on his neck too and he found himself wondering just how far down those freckles stretched.

—

After their quick breakfast, the entire group headed to the police station. “We'll review the case until three o'clock before heading back to Insomnia. If we don’t find any solid leads we will have no choice but to leave this as an open investigation.” Ignis instructed as they all piled into the stations conference room.

Noctis groaned. “If we leave at three we won't be back in Insomnia until like two in the morning."

As they sat in the conference room, case notes scattered haphazardly over the table, Noctis could see Prompto absently fiddling with the end of his ludicrous tie which was green with yellow chocobos all over it from the corner of his eye.

Noctis was snapped from his thoughts when the table suddenly jerked about six inches forwards. He looked up and saw Luna rubbing her hip. “Sorry everyone."

About two minutes later, there was a loud crash as Luna dropped the box she was carrying on the floor. Ignis jumped so violently that his glasses which were perched on the end of his nose fell off and clattered to the table as he simultaneously kneed the underneath of the table, making it rise a good few inches off the floor. Aranea started to laugh hysterically, pointing Ignis as he scrambled to put his glasses back on with as much dignity as he could manage.

“T-that’s enough Aranea!” Ignis stammered.

Prompto cleared his throat, choking down his laughter. “Do you think we should call Nyx? He can check if there are any similar outstanding cases.”

Noctis pulled his phone out, “I'll put him on speaker."

The phone rang three times before Nyx picked up. “Hello Noctopus, what can I do for you?”

Noctis rolled his eyes so hard that it actually hurt. “We need you to check if there are any unsolved murders where the victim was eviscerated.”

“Give me one moment.” Nyx replied. The room was filled with the sound of Nyx typing and the tune he was humming. “Okay no, we've got nothing at all.”

“How about post mortem stabbing?” Prompto asked.

“Aw was that Prompto? You sound so cute today." Nyx teased as he resumed typing. “There is a case but I don’t think it’ll be of any relevance to you guys, I'll email it to Luna anyway."

“Thanks Nyx." Luna said, smiling fondly.

“Anything for you, babe." Nyx replied, beginning to make kissy sounds down the phone before Noctis abruptly hung up with a sound of disgust.

Luna opened her laptop. “He's right, there's no way this is the same person. The murder weapon used here was a fire poker.” The group groaned in frustration.

“Okay everyone we might as well pack up. There's no leads. Hopefully something will turn up later." Ignis said, looking a little disappointed.

Prompto couldn't help but feel disappointed too, his first case in his new job was unsolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for choosing to read our story, we hope you stick around and enjoy xoxo - L


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little bit of a free! crossover in this one, purely because we love our boys and wanted to include them - L

Noctis knew it was completely irrational when he offered to drive Prompto into work in the mornings. Prompto had declined at first, saying that since he only lived ten minutes away and he was okay to walk in, but Noctis had insisted, even telling Prompto that it was on the way when it wasn’t even close. He would have to drive past the station to get to Prompto’s house and then double back on himself, but as Prompto had smiled at him and accepted, Noctis couldn’t help but be pleased with himself and slightly excited at the thought of getting to see Prompto in the morning.

He pulled up at Prompto's house at eight forty five. He only waited for a moment before Prompto came out, looking slightly disheveled and carrying two large satchels. He was wearing a pastel green shirt and blue cardigan, which was hanging loosely off his right shoulder. Noctis noticed that he was wearing glasses today and couldn’t help thinking about just how cute he looked with them.

Prompto opened the passenger door and shoved his bags into the footwell. “Good morning Noctis.” he said chirpily.

Noctis grunted in response, making Prompto giggle. He pulled his cardigan back up. “What did you do on your day off?” Prompto asked.

“Slept mostly." Noctis admitted, “What did you do?”

“First I went to the gym, then I just hung out with my Dad."

“So you actually like exercising?” Noctis asked.

Prompto nodded enthusiastically, “I love running, it’s one of my favourite things to do.”

“Can't relate.” Noctis said, pulling into his spot in the car park.

Prompto laughed again as he gathered up his bags in his arms, struggling slightly. Noctis noticed and took one of the bags from him. “Thanks." Prompto said, “I've really got leave some of this stuff here.”

“What's in here?” Noctis asked, genuinely surprised by the weight of the bag that weighed him down. Prompto must be a lot stronger than he looked if he could carry two of them.

“Books mostly." Prompto replied.

When they got to their office, he dropped the bag off at Prompto's desk before making his way to his own. 

The door to Ignis’ office opened and Ignis stepped out with a man that Prompto didn’t recognise. He was wearing a black tank top and white jeans. He turned to say something to Ignis, who smiled, and Prompto noticed an intricate tattoo of a bird that covered the mans back and stretched down to his arms. His long brown hair was tied into a messy bun. Prompto wondered if he was friends with Ignis because he didn't look like a member of the LBI. When he got a little closer, Prompto spotted two scars on his face, one was over his left eye and the other covered his forehead.

Aranea stood up. “Hey Gladio, let’s arm wrestle." she demanded.

Gladio laughed and held up his hands, “No way! I’m getting out of here before Iggy accuses me of distracting you again.”

“Come here for a moment please, Gladio." Ignis interrupted as he headed towards Prompto. Prompto stood up quickly and shook Gladio's hand.

Gladio smiled warmly at him as he took Prompto’s hand in both of his own. “Hi I'm Gladio, Ignis’ husband.”

“This is Dr. Prompto Argentum” Ignis said.

“Well, Dr. Prompto Argentum, if you need a haircut I'm your man. I'll even give you a friends only discount.”

Prompto laughed nervously. “Just Prompto is fine."

“Ok then, ‘just Prompto’, I better be off. I've got an appointment at ten." Gladio said. He kissed Ignis quickly on the lips. “See you later Iggy." Ignis smiled fondly at Gladio’s retreating form.

Luna walked in, carrying a stack of paperwork. She spoke quietly to Ignis and handed him a few files. 

Ignis motioned for Prompto and Iris to follow him, grabbing Noctis as he passed and led them into his office. “I've got a case for the three of you.” he said as he handed each of them a file.

“Finished kissing Gladio?” Noctis asked, not looking up from the file.

“He was so distracted by Prompto he didn't even say hello to his own sister.” Iris grumbled.

Ignis ignored both of them and continued with the briefing. “There's been a murder at the Iwatobi Swimming Pool, I need the three of you to go check it out."

“Why us?” Noctis asked.

Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose with his index finger before answering. “Because the suspect used magic."

_

Prompto didn't know what he was expecting when Ignis had said a suspect used magic to murder someone at a swimming pool, but it certainly wasn't this. There was a thick layer of ice on surface of the water, underneath the body was bobbing gently. The crime scene crew and the officers who arrived first were unable to break the ice to get the body out. 

Prompto walked cautiously over, surprised by the intense cold coming from the ice. Noctis made a small sound that might have been words but Prompto didn't catch it. 

“This is a powerful spell." Noctis mumbled, bending down to get a closer look. “They’d definitely practiced this before."

“Okay, if you could help here Noctis, Prompto and I can go and begin interviewing the staff.” Iris said, linking her arm with Prompto’s and dragging him towards the door, not waiting for Noctis to reply .

They entered the main office and inside were two men. One had blonde hair and was crying loudly into the chest of the other man who had blue hair and wore bold red glasses. When they spotted Prompto and Iris approaching, the man with glasses untangled himself from the distraught blonde and stood to shake their hands. “Rei Ryugazaki.” he introduced.

“Dr. Prompto Argentum.” Prompto said as he shook his hand.

“That is Nagisa Hazuki." Rei said. “I can understand that you probably want to interview us separately but I'm afraid I can't leave Nagisa in this state."

Prompto looked at Iris, who nodded. “I understand there's someone else we need to speak to as well?” she said.

Rei nodded. “Makoto Tachibana, he's in the office next door. He was Haru’s boyfriend."

Nagisa started to cry louder. Rei quickly sat back down and put an arm around Nagisa, pulling him close to his chest again. Prompto pulled a packet of tissues out of his bag and offered them to the crying man. Nagisa took them and gratefully wiped his face. “I'm sorry." he hiccuped, “Haru has been my friend since we were children."

“You don't need to apologize." Prompto reassured him, “I can't even begin to imagine what a terrible shock this is for you.”

Nagisa nodded slowly. Rei tightened his arm around him more and Nagisa leaned into him.

“Would it be okay if I asked you some questions now?” Prompto asked gently.

Nagisa nodded.

“Okay, so what time did you find Haru?” Prompto began, pulling out his notebook.

“I came in around eight, so maybe about ten past.” 

“Did you see anyone else?” Nagisa shook his head. 

“What time did you close last night?”

“Well we closed to the public at seven, but Haru always stays behind to swim by himself.” Nagisa sniffed, his maroon eyes swimming with tears. “I normally stay with him but I wanted to go out with Rei so I left him the keys to lock up.”

“Was the door unlocked when you got here this morning?”

Nagisa shook his head, “It was locked.”

Prompto made a few notes. “Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to hurt Haru?”

“He's kind of uhhh… blunt with people." Nagisa replied. “It isn't that he's rude, he just didn’t like to talk much, unless it was about swimming or mackerel.”

“He was also a very talented swimmer, he had plenty of rivals.” Rei pointed out.

“But that means you must think Rin had something to do with it, Rei!” Nagisa gasped.

Rei huffed. “No, I'm just stating the facts.”

“Who is Rin? Could you please tell me the names of all his rivals?” Prompto asked.

Nagisa looked upset. “Rin wouldn't do that! He'd never hurt Haru!”

“We just need to cover all our bases.” Prompto said gently.

Nagisa wiped his nose on the edge of his sleeve. He gave a slight nod and began listing off names. Prompto listened intently as he wrote them down in his notebook.

Rin Matsuoka  
Sousuke Yamazaki  
Ikuya Kirishima

“Thank you." Prompto said, tucking his notebook away. “We’ll come back to you if we have any further questions.”

—

He and Iris met back up with Noctis outside the pool.

“Any leads?” Noctis asked them both.

“Well, the boyfriend wasn't a lot of help.” Iris said, “He's in a state of shock.”

“I managed to get a possible lead, Haru had some swimming rivals.” Prompto pulled out his notebook with the list of names Nagisa had given him and ripped out the page to hand to Noctis.

“We can get Nyx to run the names through the database.” Noctis said, taking the paper. “I'll call him now.” He stepped away to make the call, leaving Iris and Prompto together. 

“It's sad, isn't it?” Iris said after studying Prompto’s face for a moment.

Prompto nodded. “They seemed like they were all good friends.”

Noctis came back, he had written the addresses on his arm in pen. Iris sighed, “You literally had paper in your hand.”

He shrugged. “I'll give the names and addresses to dispatch and they'll send someone to pick them up.”

“Don't be so lazy.” Iris scolded, “I'll stay here and you two go ahead.”

Noctis groaned and stomped over to the car. “Will you be okay?” Prompto asked.

“I'll be fine, don't worry." she replied, smiling gently.

Prompto rushed over to the car. Noctis was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. 

They reached the first address quickly, it was close to the pool. They knocked on the door and a tall, broad man with dark hair and heavily lidded eyes opened. “Yeah?” he asked impatiently. 

Prompto and Noctis held out their badges. “We're looking for Rin Matsuoka.” Noctis said. 

“Come in I guess." the man replied, stepping to the side to let them in. “He's upset about Haru, which is why I suppose you're here.”

“May I ask who you are?” Prompto asked politely.

“Sousuke, Rin’s fiancèe." he grumbled.

“As in Sousuke Yamazaki?” Noctis asked, checking the paper.

“Yeah.”

“Good, we have some questions for you too."

Sousuke stopped suddenly. “I hope you aren't here to accuse us of anything. Rin’s upset enough as it is."

“We're just trying to get to the bottom of the whole situation." Prompto said gently.

He nodded in reply and led them into the living room. A man with chin length red hair sat on the sofa staring off into space miserably. He looked up when the three entered and Prompto gave him a soft smile.

“Rin, these guys want to speak to us." Sousuke said quietly, putting his hand on Rin’s shoulder. 

“We have some questions about your friend Haru.” Noctis said. Rin flinched at the mention of Haru’s name. Sousuke gently squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

“Sure, go ahead.” Rin gestured towards the sofa opposite. Noctis and Prompto sat down whilst Prompto pulled out his notebook and readied his pen.

“We understand that you and Haru were swimming rivals?” Prompto began. 

Rin reached up to grab Sousuke’s hand for support as he replied. “We were, have been since we were kids. I’d always dreamed of swimming with Haru on the world stage.” A tear ran down his face. Rin turned his head and wiped away his tears with his shoulder, his hand still clutched tightly in Sousuke’s.

“Can I ask where you both where last night?” Noctis questioned.

Sousuke’s mouth tightened. “We didn't have anything to do with this.”

Rin patted his his hand gently. “We were out on a date at a local restaurant. I'm sure the security cameras can place us there until about eleven, then we came home.”

Prompto looked up from taking notes. “Can either of you use magic?”

They were both quiet for a moment. “I can." Sousuke replied tensely.

Noctis immediately straightened up. “Would we be able to speak to you privately?”

Sousuke sighed and stood up. Rin grabbed his arm and they both stared at each other in a silent exchange for a moment. “It'll be fine Rin.”

He lead them into the kitchen. “Would either of you like a drink?”

“No, thank you." Prompto declined, sitting at the kitchen table. Noctis sat next to Prompto.

Sousuke reached up to grab a glass from the cupboard, but winced and quickly switched to using the other arm. 

“Are you injured?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, my shoulder." Sousuke replied.

“You know you could easily have thrown your shoulder out using a powerful piece of magic, like we saw today.” Noctis observed casually.

Sousuke gripped the countertop until his knuckles turned white, he was also shaking slightly. “I may not have seen eye to eye with Haru, but I would have never done anything to him. He was Rin’s best friend. He was going to be his best man. I hurt my shoulder eight years ago if you must know. The damage I did is irreversible. It cost me my dream of swimming on the world stage with Rin and Haru. Don't you dare try and make it take Rin from me too."

Prompto looked pointedly at Noctis. “Okay I apologize, we just had to make sure.” Noctis said.

Prompto pulled out a business card from his pocket. “If you think of anything that might be relevant, please call.”

Sousuke nodded and lead them to the front door. They stepped outside. “You better catch the person who did this." he said before closing the door behind them.

“What do you think?” Noctis asked.

“It was neither of them.” Prompto replied.

“Not even Sousuke?”

Prompto shook his head. 

“Good, I was thinking the same thing.

—

The next house they went to was Ikuya Kirishima’s. It was a lot further away than Rin’s was, and took them nearly half an hour to get there.

Prompto rang the doorbell and stepped back. A man with green hair answered. They both got showed their badges. “Hi, I’m Noctis Lucis Caelum and this is Dr. Prompto Argentum. We're looking for Ikuya Kirishima.”

“That's me.” he said quietly. “Is this about Haru?”

“Yes.” Noctis replied. 

Ikuya invited them inside to a spacious kitchen. “Please, sit down.” he said, gesturing to the stools at the bar.

They both sat down and Ikuya stood opposite them behind the counter. “How can I help?”

“We just have a few bases to cover with you. I understand that you and Haru were swimming rivals." Prompto said.

Ikuya nodded. “We swam in the same team in school when we were ten. I’d always wanted to swim against him competitively.” He took a sip from his glass of water.

“Where were you last night?” Noctis asked.

“I was supposed to meet a friend for drinks but he never showed up. I arrived back home at about ten. It was strange… he's never been late before and he would have usually let me know hours before if he wasn’t going to show up. I haven’t heard from him either.”

“Where were you supposed to meet your friend?” Prompto asked, making notes. Ikuya gave them the name of the bar.

“And this friend of yours, did he know Haru?” Noctis added.

Ikuya nodded slowly, “He hated Haru. He was furious with him for giving up competitive swimming to open the pool with Nagisa, Makoto and Rei.”

“Why would that make him so angry?”

“Because when he gave up, I did too.” Ikuya replied, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I wasn't interested in swimming if I couldn't beat Haru one day."

“And what is the name of your friend?” asked Noctis. 

“Hiyori Tono.” Ikuya said. “Do you think he could have done something to Haru?”

“Well it depends, can he use magic?” 

Ikuya covered his face with his hands and let out a sob before nodding.

Prompto quickly got up and walked around the bar to give Ikuya a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Do you think he's capable of it?” 

“I honestly don't know." Ikuya whispered. “He's had fights with Haru before, and he did ask about the swimming pool times yesterday when I mentioned that Nagisa and Rei were having a date night…”

“Would you be able to give us his addre-" Noctis started before they were interrupted by the back door opening.

“Ikuya!" a voice called out, “Sorry about last night, something came up. I hope you’re not too mad at me.”

“That's him." Ikuya mouthed.

A tall man with brown hair and glasses walked in, footsteps faltering as he noticed Prompto and Noctis who had both now stood up. “Ikuya, who’s this?” he asked.

Noctis’s eyes flicked down to analyse the man and noticed that he had freeze burns grazing his hands. This guy had used powerful ice magic recently. Noctis slowly and subtlety pulled out his gun, “Hiyori Tono?” 

He slowly nodded. Ikuya jumped up before Noctis could ask any more questions. “Why did you kill Haru, Hiyori?” he cried out.

“Kill Haru? What are you talking about?” Hiyori spluttered, the air becoming thick with cold as he clenched his fists nervously.

“Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to raise your hands." Prompto said calmly, also slowly pulling out his gun.

“Why would you do this?” Ikuya asked quietly.

“Because… because," he stammered.

“Just tell me Hiyori!" 

“Because I’m the mermaid, not Haru!” Hiyori yelled. “I’m the mermaid and you’re the prince but you still want Haru.” he confessed, defeated under Ikuya’s shocked gaze.

Prompto stepped forwards, pulling his handcuffs from his belt. “Hiyori Tono, you're under arrest for the murder of Haruka Nanase."

Suddenly, Hiyori turned and bolted out the door. Prompto and Noctis chased after him but by the time they got outside, he was halfway down the street. “I can catch him." Prompto said.

Noctis grabbed his arm and pulled him back slightly.. “I've got this.”

Noctis held out his right arm and a crackle of blue energy dropped a short sword into his hand. In a fluid motion, he threw the sword after Hiyori. Prompto was confused, why would he throw a sword after a suspect when he could shoot them?

It became clear when Noctis disappeared with a crackling sound and reappeared in a flash of blue, tackling Hiyori to the ground. Prompto was shocked, he wasn’t aware that Noctis could use magic himself.

He could hear Noctis read Hiyori his rights as he jogged over. Noctis dragged him to his feet. “I did it for you Ikuya, now you can be the best!" he yelled, straining his head behind him to try and catch a glimpse of Ikuya who stood in the doorway, watching the scene with silent tears running down his face.

“Call it in Prompto." Noctis huffed.

—

Pleased, Ignis insisted that they all go out for a drink after work to celebrate Prompto's first successful case. Ignis invited Gladio along and Aranea invited Cindy, who Prompto found out was her girlfriend. Cindy was loud and bubbly, the complete polar opposite of Aranea.

Eight of them were crammed into a single booth, and Gladio was sitting on a chair at the end of the table. Prompto was drinking a purple rain out of a large glass adorned with little umbrellas through a swirly straw. He wasn’t one to drink alcohol that often, so already he felt himself getting a little tipsy. Noctis was drinking whiskey and looked like he was hating every second of it while everyone else was throwing back shots.

Gladio got up to get another round of shots when Prompto shivered at the sweetness of his drink. At the bar he was approached by a woman who was clearly flirting with him. Ignis’ brow twitched in jealousy as Gladio laughed at something the woman said. Prompto seemed to be the only one who had noticed Ignis’ stewing in silent anger as his lips tightened into a thin line.

Gladio came back with a tray full of various flavoured shots and before he could settle back down, Ignis pulled him over by the collar of his shirt and kissed him smack on the lips. Iris made loud gagging noises whilst the others, with the exception of Noctis who was still cringing at every sip of whisky, whooped loudly.

When he pulled away, Gladio laughed. “I love it when you get jealous, babe.” he said fondly. 

Ignis made a quiet noise and smacked Gladio’s arm playfully. 

“Aw Iggy, you’re the only one that my dick could get hard for.” Gladio teased. Ignis’ turned a bright shade of red. Iris covered her ears and glared at Gladio with a look of utter disgust as the rest of the table howled in laughter.

“Gladdy!” she whined. “That’s so gross!” Gladio stuck his tongue out at her as he ran his fingers through Ignis’ hair. 

“Anyway, she was asking about Prompto." Gladio said with a smirk and a wink in Prompto’s direction. 

It took a moment for Prompto to realise he was being spoken to. “Who, me?”

“Unless there's another Prompto hiding under the table." Aranea said sarcastically.

“You sure are cute Prompto, don't you have a girlfriend?” Cindy asked, resting her hand in her palm as she leaned on the table.

He shook his head slowly, head fuzzy from the sweet cocktail. “Not really interested in getting a girlfriend.” He admitted.

Nyx leant on the table with a small smirk on his face. “Oh? What about a boyfriend then?” 

Prompto went red. “Ye-yeah I suppose." Noctis seemed to perk up at admission, throwing back the rest of his whisky and placing his glass down in front of him as he sat up straighter.

Aranea punched the air, “Another win for the gays!”

Noctis choked on his drink, trying his best to do it quietly. If Aranea noticed, she would be a nightmare. He watched as Prompto let out a quiet chuckle and lowered his head to rest on his arms that were lay across the table and was overcome with the urge to reach out and run his fingers through Prompto’s blonde strands. He snapped out of his thoughts when Luna let out a high pitched squeal, having knocked the table and spilled most of the drinks.

“I think we might have had one too many. Perhaps it’s time to call it a night.” Ignis said, taking in the drunken state of the group. Gladio smiled as if he had been waiting to hear those words all night, leaning over to whisper in Ignis’ ear.

Ignis quickly threw back the rest of the shots that hadn’t been spilt and stood, pulling Gladio up with him. “We’re off. See you all on Monday."

“Actually, Iggy, hadn't we better get Prompto home first?” Gladio stopped, noticing that Prompto had now fallen asleep across the table. 

“Don't worry, we can manage." Iris said quickly with a grimace, waving her hands. “He's only little. Please, you two, go. Now.”

Gladio opened his mouth the argue but Iris shoved him away from the booth. “Just go." she shuddered, knowing exactly what her brother and boss were so desperate to rush off for.

After half hour, the group finished their final round of drinks and decided to call it a night. Luna tried to shake Prompto awake but it was no use, he was fast asleep. 

“I can carry him." Nyx said. He gently pulled Prompto to the other side of the table and hoisted him up onto his shoulder. “Astrals, he's surprisingly solid for a little guy." he huffed.

“Not as tough as you think you are, huh Nyx?” Aranea teased.

“You try to carry him.” Nyx complained, staggering out of the door.

Luckily, Aranea remembered the way to Prompto’s house and she directed them as Noctis had disappeared. When they got to what Aranea said she was eighty percent sure was the right door, Luna knocked. A tall man with cropped brown hair answered. He looked slightly confused. “Hello, is this where Prompto lives?” Luna asked politely.

“Yes.” the man answered, looking at the group in confusion. “Is he okay? Did he get hurt?”

“He's just a bit drunk." Nyx said as he stepped forward and adjusted Prompto on his shoulder. He had woken up on the journey home and was now giggling as he squirmed around.

The man frowned. “How on Eos did he get so drunk?”

“He only drank half a cocktail, we have no idea." Nyx replied. Prompto started laughing hysterically.

“Why are you laughing?” Iris asked him, bending to try and see Prompto’s face.

“I'm really close to his butt." Prompto slurred.

“Okay, let's get him inside" Nyx said loudly over the girls laughter. “Do you want me to carry him in? It's no problem."

“I can do it myself!” Prompto whined. 

Nyx managed to get Prompto to stand steadily on his feet and straightened out his rumpled clothes. “You're home now buddy."

Prompto shuffled inside, gently patting the man on the shoulder as he passed.. “Thank you all for keeping him safe.” the man said.

“It was no problem.” Luna smiled. “Have a good night, sir!” The corner of the mans lip lifted into a slight smile before stepped back and closed the door.

“Was that Prompto's pawpaw?” Cindy wondered aloud, her southern accent thick.

“Doesn't look much like him." Nyx said before slinging an arm around Luna’s shoulders and walking home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, we're overwhelmed by the response so far! thank you so much! - P
> 
> follow us on Tumblr  
> [prompom](stallionduckninja.tumblr.com)  
> [lahoera](xunstable.tumblr.com)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> filler chapter this time, sorry lovelies! xoxo

Noctis knew it was rude how quickly he left the group on their night out, but he couldn't stay any longer. He nearly had a heart attack when Prompto said he would rather have a boyfriend. His head was a little fuzzy from the whisky he always insisted on drinking even though he pretty much hated it, and he didn't trust himself to keep his mouth shut.

He also knew that if he stayed there any longer, Aranea would have sniffed out his crush like Umbra after a dropped sausage. 

When he got home, he locked the door behind him and slid onto the floor holding his head in his hands. Umbra trotted over to him and lay his head on Noctis’ knee. Noctis pet his head gently as he thought about the situation.

After a while, he sobered up and dragged himself up from off the the floor, feeling a twinge of pain in his back. He winced with a pained sigh and dragged himself to his bedroom. He clicked his tongue when he found his bed occupied. He moved to push Stuart from his bed, but when he opened one eye and met Noctis’ with an evil glare, he decided against it.

Noctis stripped off and climbed under the covers, jostling Stuart who hissed in protest. Stuart stretched his long, black body and moved to position himself on the pillow above Noctis’s head and began to purr loudly.

When Noctis finally fell asleep, he dreamt of blonde hair and freckles.

—

When Noctis picked Prompto up on the following Monday, he found it hard to forget the fact that he had spent most of his weekend fantasizing about him. He was pretty sure that Prompto would be able to see it on his face if he so much as looked at him. 

Luckily, Prompto didn't seem to notice and just kept chatting away as normal.

When they got to work, Aranea and Iris seemed genuinely surprised to see Prompto. “You're actually alive?” Aranea asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah?” Prompto said questioningly, looking confused.

“Do you not remember Friday night?” Iris laughed.

Prompto's eyes widened. “What did I do?”

“Well first of all, you told us all you were gay, just want to point that out.” Aranea said, raising her hand. “Then you fell asleep on the table, Nyx had to carry you home.” 

Noctis felt his stomach stir with jealousy and regret. If he had stayed he could have been the one to carry Prompto home.

Prompto blushed, covering his face in embarrassment. “Really?”

Luna and Nyx joined them. “Then you spent half the walk home laughing at Nyx’s butt.” Luna laughed. Prompto brought his arms up to cover his face even more with a groan.

“Oh!” Iris pulled out her phone. “I got a video!” 

Noctis couldn't help but peek as well. Prompto was slung over Nyx’s shoulder, tapping Nyx’s butt in a beat and singing Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) by ABBA very loudly, and very badly. 

Noctis looked at Prompto who was so red he could almost feel the heat radiating from him. 

“I'm so sorry Nyx." Prompto turned to Nyx sheepishly.

Nyx laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “It's fine.”

“What state were you in on Saturday morning?” Aranea asked curiously. 

“I wasn’t that bad actually, my dad made me drink two pints of water before I went to sleep.” Prompto said, sitting on his chair and trying to not look at anyone.

“Okay, everyone settle down.” Ignis said, walking in. “We've got to sort paperwork today. I'll send you all emails of what to do.” As he walked away, Noctis noticed he was limping slightly and he knew exactly what Ignis had spent the weekend doing with Gladio. He looked up and locked eyes with Aranea, who raised an eyebrow. They both descended into a fit of giggles.

Iris groaned, scrunching her nose in disgust. “I hate working here.”

 

_

 

Noctis tried to read the report he was sent, but his mind was drifting. He shook his head to try and snap out of his daydream before picking up his written report. He read through it whilst absentmindedly doodling on a piece of paper. When he was done, he set down the report in his ‘finished’ pile and looked at his doodle. With a concealed gasp, he realised he had drawn stars in the exact pattern of the freckles scattered across Prompto’s face. He casually balled up the paper and put it in the bin, so he didn't make Aranea suspicious.

When twelve o’clock came around, he got an email from Ignis that just read ‘lunch’. Noctis sighed in exhaustion. He’d forgot it was his turn to go and get lunch for the office. “I'm going on a lunch run." he announced, stretching his muscles which were sore after sitting for so long.

Prompto got up quickly, nearly tripping over his own feet. “I'll help." 

Noctis tried to look nonchalant as he agreed, but he was close to squealing with joy. “Everyone text me what you want from the sandwich place." he said as he walked out.

“So, how are you enjoying paperwork day?” Noctis asked Prompto who was being quiet for a change.

He shrugged. “It's okay.”

Noctis noticed Prompto didn't seem himself. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Prompto stopped to look at Noctis, snapping out of his thoughts. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? If it's because of Friday, everyone will forget about it eventually." 

He laughed in response, but his face quickly returned to its sombre expression. “No it’s not that. I've noticed something odd about some of the cases Ignis gave me to type up."

“Yeah?” Noctis questioned.

Prompto hummed, “I want to investigate a bit more first.”

Noctis slapped him gently on the shoulder with a kind grin, making him stumble forward a little. “Okay. Let me know if I can help."

_

 

It didn't take long to get the food, and by the time Prompto got back he was even more sure of his suspicions. He gathered up the relevant files and walked into Ignis’ office.

Ignis was frowning as he looked at his computer screen, but beckoned Prompto inside. “Hello Prompto, what can I do for you?” Prompto closed the door behind him.

Prompto’s hands were shaking slightly as he spread the files across Ignis’ desk. “I've noticed a few things in the files you gave me that I think you should look at.”

Ignis glanced at the files spread across his desk and then raised his head to look at Prompto, quirking his brow. “Care to explain?” 

Prompto opened all of the files so they were showing the photo of the body at the crime scene. He pointed to the first one, “Agrias Oaks, missing for a week before being found dead, body mutilated.” Ignis looked at him over his glasses.

Prompto pointed to the second, “Celes Chere, missing for a week before being found stabbed over fifty times." He pointed to the third, “And lastly, Zidane Tribal, missing for a week before being found eviscerated and with coins over his eyes"

“What are you suggesting Prompto?” Ignis asked quietly.

“All these people were blonde. All were missing for a week before being found with an excessive amount of injuries. At every crime scene, they found at least one coin. I think it was the same person who killed Marche Radiuju. I think it's a serial killer.” he replied, voice quivering.

Ignis studied the files carefully. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention Prompto. I believe you are right.”

“You think so?” Prompto nervously played with his sleeves.

“You shouldn't doubt yourself," Ignis said, gathering the files up and setting them into a neat pile. “This is excellent work. I'll get Luna to put out a nationwide alert. If we get another similar case, we can head straight to the scene.”

Prompto nodded, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a shy smile at the praise. “Right, thanks.” He turned to leave, pulling his sleeves down to cover his hands as he re-entered the office.

“Everything okay, Prompto?” Iris asked sweetly. Noctis’ head snapped in Prompto’s direction at her words, concerned.

“Yeah everything’s fine, I think.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna start doing chapter vibes  
> Drive \- Kids In Glass Houses - P  
> [Got Well Soon](https://youtu.be/ReCdPcaDn4M) \- Breton - L  
> Also, Attack on Titan crossover because we could -P

Prompto was quietly eating a breakfast of granola, yoghurt and fruit when his dad came downstairs. He wasn’t surprised, his dad liked to get up early even when he wasn't doing anything. He sat opposite Prompto and looked at him carefully. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Prompto shrugged, chewing thoughtfully. “It's just this serial killer thing. I feel kinda weird for spotting it.”

“What do you mean?”

Prompto put down his spoon. “I kinda feel like that it's my fault. I spotted it so I made it real. Does that make sense?”

“I get it Prom, but you can't be thinking like that," Cor said, holding Prompto's hand gently in his own. “You're a great detective who spotted a pattern. You don't need to feel guilty, you should be proud.”

Prompto nodded, not really convinced. He heard a car pull up outside. “Um, Noctis is here, I gotta go.” He went to clean up the table when Cor gently grabbed his hand to stop him.

“I'll tidy up, you can go,” Cor said, hugging Prompto goodbye. “You didn't eat much, are you sure you’re okay?” He pulled back with a concerned frown.

“Yeah I'm fine Dad, I've got to go.” Prompto gave him an unconvincing smile.

 

—

 

Ignis was on the phone, busy discussing a new case that had just came in. Prompto was organising his desk while Noctis leaned back in his chair, trying to balance a pen on the end of his nose. Iris was frowning at her computer and Aranea tapped her pen impatiently on the desk. There was a television set on in Luna’s office and they could hear the news broadcaster talking about the potential serial killer that Prompto had spotted. 

“Hey pumpkin, that was a good bit of detective work you did there.” Aranea said, staring directly at Prompto.

“Thanks, Aranea.” Prompto blushed.

“It really was Prompto, good job.” Iris added.

Ignis finished up his phone call and then headed over to Prompto’s desk.. “Prompto, I want you to be the lead detective on this case.” He said.

“Really? Me?” Prompto asked, shocked and confused.

Ignis chuckled quietly. “Yes, you. You're a good detective. After your latest investigations I think you’re the perfect one for this.”

“Tha-thank you sir! I won't let you down."

Ignis nodded in approval before turning back to his office, stopping at the doorway. “Noctis!” he said loudly, making Noctis jump and drop his pen on the floor. “You’ll be Prompto’s partner on this case.” Noctis saluted sarcastically before getting up. 

“If you don't behave I'll shadow you,” Ignis threatened. “I'll text you the address Prompto." he called before closing the door.

The text from Ignis came through just as they reached the car. “We need to go to a club called Sina, do you know where that is?” Prompto asked. Noctis looked at him with an expression Prompto could only describe as disappointment. “I've been too busy to go clubbing.” he said defensively.

Noctis didn’t reply and just began driving. Prompto took this as a hint that Noctis knew where he was going. They didn’t have a lot of information on the case, only that it was a murder investigation. When they arrived at the scene the local police were present, fortunately for them there was no media around. The area seemed to be quite quiet. Noctis and Prompto exited the car and headed over to the yellow tape, flashing their badges to the officer on guard. He stepped aside to let the two pass and another officer came over to lead them inside.

Prompto couldn’t help but feel it was weird that his very first time in a big nightclub was to solve a murder. Prompto turned to Noctis. “Have you ever been here before?” He asked.

“Once with Aranea and Cindy a few months ago, when it first opened. It's pretty new."

Prompto nodded slowly as they made their way to a short corridor. When they got to the end they found themselves in a large room with a small stage at the front. There were large speakers along the walls, the bar was on the left of the room and the right had a few sitting booths. At the end of the row of booths there was a staircase that lead to an upstairs dance area that overlooked the lower floor.

At the bar were sat two men. One was tall, broad and blonde. His hair and demeanour reminded Prompto of his dad when he was in the military. When they got closer, Prompto noticed his right arm was missing. The other man was significantly smaller than the first, his dark hair styled into an undercut with a small bun. His skin was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. His left leg was bouncing violently as he quickly scanned the room. He was holding a glass of water and Prompto saw his hands were trembling.

“Those are the owners of the club." The officer who lead them in nodded in the direction of the two men then left Noctis and Prompto alone. They headed over to them and flashed their badges when the smaller man squinted at them suspiciously. The taller one stood up and held out his left hand for them to shake. “Erwin Smith." he said politely.

Prompto shook his hand with a firm grip. “Dr. Prompto Argentum, this is Noctis Lucis Caelum.” 

“Levi.” the other man said curtly, still scanning the room. “When are you going to be done so I can clean my club?” he asked.

“I'm sorry sir but this investigation has just started, it probably won't be for a while." Prompto replied politely. 

Levi groaned and pulled a bottle of scotch out from behind the bar. He poured himself a generous measure and gulped it down in one go. “I hate mess."

“We'll try and get this done as soon as possible sir.” Prompto said.

Levi grunted and went to pour himself another glass of scotch before Erwin grabbed his hand. “Levi, that’s enough.”

He scowled but put the bottle down. “What do you need to know?”

“We'll have a look around first then return to ask you both some questions.” Noctis said. They both nodded and Erwin sat back down, putting his head in his hand. 

An officer came over to them. “The body is in the men's toilets, if you'll follow me.”

Prompto and Noctis followed the officer to the toilets. Inside was a lot of blood. The manic spray pattern scattered on the walls indicated an arterial bleed. The metallic smell of blood mixed with scent of vomit and urine from drunken party goers the night before was overwhelming and Prompto covered his mouth, dry swallowing a few times to keep himself from gagging.

“You okay?” Noctis whispered. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet.

“I can't believe the LBI has the audacity to bring a newbie onto my crime scene." One of the officers said. He was young with spiked, dark red hair and an air of arrogance that was astounding. His badge read detective but it was clear he thought he was in charge.

“Who are you?” Noctis snapped.

“Tredd Furia.” he replied with a confident smirk. He turned to Prompto, “Is this your first crime scene or do you just have a weak stomach?”

Prompto opened his mouth to answer but Noctis stopped him. “Watch who you're speaking to. That is Dr. Prompto Argentum and he was the one who spotted that there was a serial killer in Lucis so if I was you I'd show him some respect.”

Tredd shrugged lazily, “There's a difference spotting a pattern in some paperwork and doing the actual work yourself.”

Prompto’s stomach lurched, Tredd was right. All he had done is just piece together a few similarities that other people had probably noticed too. Noctis looked furious. “Get off our crime scene.”

Tredd laughed. “With pleasure, it’s all yours kiddos.” He left with a sarcastic wave. Noctis turned to Prompto, noticing his crestfallen expression.

“Don't listen to him Prompto, you've done a great job so far." Noctis comforted.

Prompto nodded once with a shaky smile but couldn't shift the discomfort gnawing at his gut. “I'm okay, let's just do our job."

They walked over to where the body was, careful not to stand in any blood. The victim had been beaten savagely and the cut in his throat was so deep, you could see peeks of white from the bones in his neck. “Whoever did this was very angry.” Prompto observed.

“That's an understatement." Noctis murmured, bending down for a closer look.

“Will you be okay here?” Prompto asked. “I’ll go out and talk to the owners.” 

“I'll come with you, there’s not much we can do here until CSI finish with the processing. Then we’ll need to wait for an autopsy.” 

Prompto nodded in acknowledgement, quickly turning to leave. Noctis grabbed his shoulder. “I was serious Prompto, don't listen to that guy. Everyone has to start somewhere."

“I'm okay, really. I've had worse things said to me." Prompto shrugged.

Noctis frowned, softening his grip on Prompto’s shoulder. “That doesn’t make it ok.”

Prompto didn’t reply, instead he turned and left, not waiting for Noctis. Noctis sighed before following him over to Erwin and Levi. Erwin was still sitting down, but Levi had moved to stand in front him, burying his face into Erwin’s chest and tightly clutching his shirt. He was breathing shakily as Erwin rubbed soothing circles into his back.

“Are you okay to answer questions?” Prompto asked.

Levi turned around slowly. “Yeah whatever.” He sighed.

“Okay the, we’ll get started.” Prompto pulled out his notebook. “Who found the body?”

“I believe it was one of our security guards, Mikasa Ackerman." Erwin replied.

“Do you have a lot of security?” Noctis asked.

Levi nodded. “We’ve had to up our security measures."

Prompto looked up from jotting down notes. “What do you mean?”

Erwin sighed, pinching his nose. “We've had problems ever since we opened. It started with vandalism and people getting abused outside, then it escalated to people getting beaten. One guy was dragged into the alley and beaten half to death. We've had to employ extra security guards and install CCTV outside but it hasn't really helped."

“Do you have any idea why so many people have been attacked?” Prompto questioned.

“Easy." Levi replied. “They just don't like the fact that a gay couple own a club. They're hoping to scare our patrons away, to drive us out of business."

“We’ve unofficially become a gay club.” Erwin elaborated.

Prompto nodded and made a few notes. “Have you reported these previous incidents to the police?”

“Yeah, but they don't care what happens to us. You saw the way that Tredd Furia acted, they literally don't care." Levi said bitterly. “He's been here for six hours and hasn't even removed the body.”

“Don't worry, we'll make sure this is reported to his senior officer.” Noctis assured them. “I've got a bone to pick with him anyway.”

“Have you caught any of the abuse in your CCTV?” Prompto asked.

“They make sure to either do it out of sight of the cameras or to vandalize them first." Erwin replied, putting his arm around Levi’s shoulder as he started to tremble again.

Levi shoved Erwin away. “I need a smoke.” he said as he walked off.

Erwin sighed. “Please don't think too harshly of Levi. He's been really struggling with all the previous incidents, and this hasn’t helped."

“If we can do anything to help, let us know" Prompto said.

“As long as you can catch whoever is behind all of this, I think we'll be okay." Erwin replied, smiling sadly.

Another officer approached them, holding an evidence bag. “We found the victims ID. His name was Zack Fair.” Noctis took the bag and wrote down the address on the ID then passed it back.

“Send us the report as soon as it's done, we'll go to his address and see if there is anyone else living there." Noctis said. The officer agreed and walked away. “This won't be nice." Noctis grimaced.

_

 

Noctis knocked on the door to the house on Zack Fair’s ID card. It took a moment before a man with spiked blonde hair answered.

Prompto and Noctis held up their badges. “Is there where Zack Fair lives?” Noctis asked.

“Yeah." he replied slowly, looking confused. “Is he in trouble?”

“It may be better if we explain inside.” Prompto said gently.

The man stepped aside to let them pass. He led them into a sitting room gestured for them to sit down before taking a seat himself. “Is Zack okay?” he asked.

“May we ask how you know Zack?” Prompto questioned.

“He's my boyfriend.” Prompto cringed as he quickly scribbled in his notebook.

“And your name is?” Noctis asked.

“Cloud Strife.” he replied, “Please, is Zack okay?”

Prompto moved to sit down next to him. “I'm really sorry to tell you this but there was a murder at the nightclub, Sina. Zack’s ID was found with the body."

“He's dead?” Cloud whispered.

“We still need a formal identification, but we believe it is Zack." Noctis said.

“He's all I had.” Cloud said shakily. “Both our parents disowned us when we told them we were dating. He's my world."

“I’m so sorry for your loss, I can’t even begin to imagine your pain right now," Prompto tried to reassure him, “but I promise you, we will catch those responsible.”

-

Ignis was confused to see Noctis and Prompto arguing when they returned. He didn't think Noctis would ever argue with Prompto, his crush was so glaringly obvious that he was surprised that no one apart from Gladio and himself had noticed and pointed it out yet, especially Aranea.

He peeked around the door to see what was going on. Their arguing had turned into angry whispers and Noctis had begun to go red in the face.

“What's going on?” Ignis asked.

“Noctis thinks I'm some kind of child who can't take care of myself." Prompto said, slamming his bag down. His cheeks were flushed with anger.

“It's a dangerous idea." Noctis growled.

“Explain.” Ignis demanded.

“Prompto wants to go undercover in the club to try and get attacked by some homophobic asshole." Noctis said.

“That isn't it." Prompto snapped. “It's the only way to lure them out. They won't do anything with detectives and police around, so if we go undercover, we can catch them in the act and make an arrest." 

“Why are you objecting to this Noctis? It's a good plan.” Ignis asked, even though he knew the real answer.

“I think it would be better for someone else to go." Noctis replied.

“Yeah, because he thinks I can't defend myself.” Prompto said. His hands were trembling. “You didn't need to argue with Tredd on my behalf earlier, and you don't need to do this now. I can do this."

“Who do you think should go Noctis?” Ignis asked.

“I should." Noctis replied.

Ignis shook his head, looking Noctis up and down. “You'd stick out. Prompto is the better choice. We can send him in with Iris, they're the youngest on the team and would fit in the best."

“You're literally making his idea worse." Noctis exclaimed.

“You'll be outside as backup.” Ignis said.

“If anything happens to you, I'm going to be furious." Noctis said, sitting on his chair with a huff. Prompto paused, Noctis’ words making his stomach shift.

_

 

Ignis had given Iris and Aranea the department's credit card to get clothes for the undercover investigation. None of them trusted Prompto to be able to pick a look that would not stand out in the club. The only request Prompto had was he wanted a leather wristband, but he didn’t explain why.

When they got back, they were both smiling triumphantly. “You're going to love this outfit shortcake." Aranea grinned, passing him the bag.

“Okay, both of you get changed and Noctis can take you to the club. Erwin has already put your names on the guest list so you can skip the line and get to work faster.” Ignis informed them. “And I've got to admit I'm looking forward to seeing what you've both picked out.”

Prompto groaned as he walked into the locker room. He'd never used it before and hesitated for a second before heading to the toilets to change in a cubicle. It was a struggle to pull on skinny jeans in such an enclosed space but it was worth the privacy. 

When he looked in the mirror, he barely recognised himself. His jeans were tight and black with a faded leopard print pattern, his tank top was black with a white pattern on it that reminded him of a computer motherboard. He shrugged on a sleeveless denim jacket that was adorned with various patches and a long plaid bottom that nearly reached his knees before pulling on a pair of black boots. Prompto thought that the amount of black made him look paler than usual. He dug around in the bag and pulled out a thick leather band, clipping it around his right wrist.

When he exited the locker room, Aranea gave a low whistle. “Looking good Prompto!” she called out.

He blushed to no one's surprise. Iris dashed over and slapped his arm playfully. “I didn't know you were so muscular under all those ugly sweaters.”

Iris was now wearing a leather skirt and corset with high heeled boots. “You look really pretty Iris." Prompto said cheerfully.

“Thank you Prompto." she twirled. “I've got something else for you too.”

She grabbed a black bandanna from her desk and tied it around his right bicep. She stepped backwards. “Perfect! What do you think Noct?”

Noctis, whose mouth had been dry since Prompto had walked into the room, struggled to answer. “He looks fine." he croaked. 

In his head, he was screaming. He had never seen anyone look so incredible in his entire life. His fingers twitched with the desire to run his hands down Prompto’s muscular arms.

“What do you mean fine?” Aranea scolded, “He looks incredible. If I wasn't a lesbian and he wasn't gay, I'd jump on him right now.”

Ignis entered, looking pleased. “You both look like you'd fit in perfectly. The plan is now for Gladio to drop you both off and Noctis to wait in the alleyway behind the club. Hopefully it will just look like an older brother dropping off his sister and her friend for a night out."

Noctis grunted, not sure if he was pleased or not. On one hand, he thought if Prompto got in the car next to him, he'd end up kissing him and potentially ruining their working relationship and on the other he was annoyed that he was going to miss seeing Prompto in those clothes.

Prompto clipped his holster on his back, hidden by the layers of his jacket and shoved his badge into his jeans pocket. Iris tucked her gun and badge into the small bag she was carrying.

Suddenly, Iris grabbed Prompto's right wrist. “Wait a minute, I didn't know you had tattoos!”

Noctis came closer to investigate and saw a stylized barbed wire tattoo around Prompto's wrist and a eight pointed star on his hand just below it. He looked up at Prompto's face, which had just settled from extreme panic, which was a strange reaction.

“Oh yeah." he laughed shakily. “It seemed a good idea when I was eighteen and rebellious.”

“I can't imagine you were ever rebellious." Aranea called out with a laugh.

From this close, Noctis could see the freckles dusting Prompto's shoulders and spreading down his arms. He never thought he would have a fetish for freckles, yet here he was.

Gladio walked in and whistled. “Looking good Prompto." he called out with a laugh.

“Oh, uh, thanks!” Gladio approached and began questioning Prompto about the gym, Noctis immediately zoned out His wandering mind was interrupted by the noise of disgust that left Gladio's mouth. “I'm am not letting my baby sister leave looking like that!”

“Well you're going to have to." Ignis said.

“You can't ignore me until I look grown up and then tell me what to do Gladdy!” Iris whined.

Gladio's frown deepened. “I don't like this at all. Prompto, make sure no creeps go near her."

“That's the point of the investigation though Gladio." Ignis said in a soothing tone. “Iris is a fully trained officer of the LBI. She has her gun and Noctis is back up, it’ll be fine.”

“It gets worse." Gladio threw his head back with a groan.

“Hey, I'm not that bad!" Noctis moaned.

“Yes you are, I've never known anyone to space out so much."

“Gladio, stop hindering this investigation please!” Ignis scolded. “I wouldn't let Noctis be back up if I didn't trust him a hundred percent."

“Thank you specs." Noctis said smugly.

_

 

The club had a completely different atmosphere when it was packed. There were people squeezed together on the dance floor, the air thick with heat, and the dim lighting made it difficult to navigate. The bass from the music thudded through Prompto's every fibre of being. Sadly, that was the exact moment Prompto realised he was claustrophobic and needed to get off that dance floor as soon as possible.

Prompto leaned on the bar and the bartender rushed over. His nametag read Eren. “Can I have a lemonade please?” he asked.

Eren quickly made the drink and passed it over, Prompto tried to pay but he shook it off. “Erwin said to make sure you were both hydrated tonight."

Prompto nodded in thanks and gulped down half the drink while Eren went off to serve more people.

Someone leaned on the bar next to Prompto. He looked up and saw a blonde man about his height. He had a muscular build but his face was slightly child like. His chin length blonde hair framed his face. “You look lonely over here." he said with an arrogant smile.

Prompto didn't know what to say, so he just gulped more of his drink.

“I'm Loqi.” The man introduced.

“Prompto." he replied, holding his hand out for him to shake.

Loqi grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it. Prompto giggled at the unexpected contact.

“You're an extremely beautiful person Prompto, I would be honored to get your number.”

“Oh, um... okay." Prompto said. Loqi passed him his phone and Prompto entered his number.

“I have to go now, Prompto, but you can be sure I'll text you later." Loqi said with a smirk and a wink before walking off. 

Prompto was utterly confused. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened or how to feel about it. He turned to lean with his back to the bar instead so he could survey the room. He spotted Iris walking towards him quickly. She motioned for him to follow and lead him to the corridor which led out the back. “Three guys just dragged another out here." she explained quietly. Prompto nodded and they both got their guns out in unison.

They quietly crept along until they reached the back door. With a determined look on her face, Iris opened it. Prompto looked left whilst Iris looked right. “Call Noctis." Prompto whispered as he spotted the men at the far end of the alley, way out of the sights of the CCTV. 

He heard Iris speaking softly behind him as they walked towards the group.

When they got closer, they saw three guys kicking the one on the floor viscously. “LBI, put your hands where we can see them!”

They stopped kicking and glared at Prompto and Iris. What they didn't notice, however, was a fourth man holding a bat creeping up behind Prompto as they put handcuffs on the three men in front of them.

Suddenly, he swung the bat and it hit Prompto in the stomach as he turned around. Gasping for air, Prompto fell to the floor and dropped his gun. Iris turned just as the man picked up Prompto’s weapon and pointed it at her.

With the other hand, he dropped the bat and pulled a knife from out of his pocket and pressed it against Prompto's throat. His brown hair fell into his eyes as he grinned. “Well well. I have a dirty fag to kill and a pretty girl. Whatever will I do to her."

Iris’ eyes widened with fear as he pressed the knife harder against Prompto’s skin. Prompto felt something warm trickle down his neck and realised it was blood with a strangled gasp. 

“We're members of the LBI.” Iris said firmly. “We have back up on the way.”

“I bet your back up isn't close enough to stop me killing him." he smirked.

There was a flash of blue light to Prompto’s right side and Noctis appeared, slamming the man into the ground, knocking him out cold. “You're under arrest." Noctis growled.

Prompto collapsed to the side, gasping for air. Iris knelt down next to him and quickly asses his neck injury. “It isn't bad, let me check your stomach." 

She tried to left his shirt but he held it down and shook his head. “I'm fine." he wheezed, struggling to his feet.

“Prompto, you are not fine." Iris said.

He took a few deep breaths and got his breathing back under control. “I am fine Iris, I was just a bit winded that’s all." he insisted.

They were both distracted from the hiss of pain from Noctis. He tried to stand upright but seemed unable. His hands were gripping the knees of his trousers so tightly they were turning white. “Noctis, are you alright?” Prompto asked.

“I just pulled a muscle in my back." he replied through gritted teeth.

“Noctis has an old back injury." Iris explained quietly.

Prompto helped Noctis sit down as Iris called Ignis to explain the situation. Prompto leaned against the wall and breathed in deeply, ignoring the twinge of pain in his abdomen. 

“That didn't go so great, did it?” Noctis laughed bitterly. Prompto grunted in agreeance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'chapter vibes' as we are putting it may or may not have any real significant meaning to the chapter itself, it's mostly the song that has a vibe we associate with the chapter whilst reading/writing it! we hope you enjoy the songs we selected and we'd love to hear what songs you would've chosen! p.s. we totally gave levi a man bun out of bitterness that he didn't get one in the manga but eren did - L


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter vibes  
> A Cotton Candy Sky \- Trophy Eyes - P (Spotify link because it isn't on YouTube)  
> [Dreams](https://youtu.be/kHpvj1g25XI) \- Dua Lipa - L

To say Prompto was annoyed that Ignis had insisted that he stay home would be an understatement. No matter how many times he said he wasn't injured, his body betrayed him. It wasn't even that obvious, just a wince when he turned a certain way or a stiffness in the way he sat down. He was perfectly capable of doing his job but Ignis wouldn't hear a word of it. The last thing Prompto wanted was to be alone with his thoughts at the moment.

“But Noctis isn’t in, there’ll only be two detectives working."

“Go home, Prompto.” Ignis sighed.

“Ignis, I can't just sit at home all day,” Prompto pleaded as Ignis steered him towards the door, “I can just stay in the office and do paperwork or something."

Ignis pinched his nose. “If you need to do something, I suppose you can go to the gym with Gladio. He used to do physical therapy when we were in university so he knows how to not strain you. Just promise me you'll stop if it gets painful.”

Prompto nodded eagerly. Ignis sighed and pulled out his phone to message Gladio. “Wait for him outside.” Ignis said, turning around, “And I swear to the Astrals, Prompto, if you injure yourself further I'll send you home for a month." 

He was planning to go to the gym straight after work anyway, so he had his gym clothes tucked in his bag. Prompto waited on the front steps of the the LBI building until Gladio pulled up in a big truck. He waved to Prompto who jogged over.

Prompto had to jump a little to get into the cab of the truck, which made Gladio laugh. “Hey there, ‘just Prompto’.”

“Good morning, Gladio." Prompto greeted as he pulled on his seatbelt.

“Can't stay down, huh?”

Prompto nodded. “I don't like feeling useless"

“Same here. I went to the gym with pneumonia before and passed out. Iggy went crazy. Genuinely thought he was going to strangle me." 

Prompto chuckled. “He threatened to force me to stay home for a month.”

“He just worries about everyone." Gladio said fondly. 

“Must be exhausting."

It was Gladio's turn to laugh. “Ignis isn't Ignis if he's not worrying about people.”

“How did you meet? If you don't me asking.” Prompto asked with a flush of his cheeks.

“We were always in the same classes in school. When we were like twelve, I was struggling with some subjects and he tutored me. We ended up becoming really good friends and I suppose it just escalated from there. I proposed when we were twenty and we got married a year later, so we've been married for nineteen years now."

“Wow..." Prompto breathed quietly. “I can't imagine being with someone for so long."

“Trust me, when you find the right person you'll find it easy."

Prompto hummed and looked out the window. “I went on a date last night." he confessed. 

“Oh really? With who?” Gladio asked. 

“A guy I met when Iris and I were staking out that club."

“Was he nice?” Gladio questioned as they pulled up.

They climbed out the car before Prompto answered. “At first, he was. Then he changed."

“He didn't hurt you did he?” Gladio asked, looking concerned. “I will go and beat him up if I need to."

Prompto shook his head. “No, he just got nasty because I wouldn't sleep with him on the first date.”

“I'll still beat him up, if you want." Gladio offered.

“Thanks, but no thanks." Prompto laughed. Even in his own ears, the laugh sounded fake.

 

The gym had separate changing rooms, so they parted ways to get into their gym outfits. As soon as Prompto was alone, Loqi’s words seemed to echo in his brain. 

“I don't want to sleep with you anyway. I only asked because you look like such a pathetic virgin.”

Prompto's hands were trembling as he pulled on his shorts.

His face, which Prompto had once thought was kind of sweet, twisted into an ugly sneer. He smirked with arrogance as he saw the effect his words had. “No one will ever want you."

Prompto walked out the changing room, desperate to get away from the silence that brought back Loqi’s cruel words. He stored his stuff away in a locker and turned around, taking a deep breath. He felt the deep ache in his abdomen from where he got hit with the bat, it helped him stay grounded. 

Gladio walked out of his changing room wearing a ridiculously small pair of shorts and a tank top that was so tight it counted as skin. “Ready to go?” he asked, looking concerned at Prompto’s expression.

Prompto put on a false, bright smile. “Yeah I'm fine. Let's go."

They worked out until Gladio made him stop. The ache of his muscles and concentrating on the workout had made him forget about Loqi, but as soon as he stopped, he started to think about him again. 

Maybe he was right. 

Maybe he was a pathetic virgin who no one could love.

“Hey Prompto, I need to drop some stuff off at Noct’s place. Iggy was sending me over to give him some food. I can drop you off home first if you want." Gladio said.

“If you give me the stuff for Noct, I can drop it off.” Prompto said. “I haven't got anything to do today."

Gladio nodded. “I'll drive you over though. It looks like it's gonna rain."

 

Prompto was confused when they drove past the station, in the opposite direction to Prompto's house. 

“What's wrong?” Gladio asked, noticing the confused scrunch of Prompto’s brows.

“Oh, nothing. I've just never been to Noctis’s place before." Prompto replied.

Why would Noctis say Prompto’s house was on the way to work when it clearly wasn't? Did he feel sorry for Prompto too?

It started to rain heavily just as they pulled up. “That's his apartment building, number fifteen." Gladio said, passing him a heavy fabric shopping bag. “Are you sure you're okay? I can still take you home.”

“I'm fine.” Prompto said as took the shopping bag. “Thanks for the workout, it was fun." 

Gladio nodded. “We'll have to do it a again soon.”

_

Noctis was lying in bed, trying to ignore the pain shooting across his back when there was a knock at the door. He struggled to his feet, his right leg didn't seem to be working properly.

He limped heavily to the door and opened it, ready to complain to Gladio for making him get up but was stopped in his tracks. Instead of muscles and tattoos was blonde hair and freckles. He opened his mouth a few times to say something but the words wouldn't come out. If Prompto was here, he surely must have realised Noctis was lying about picking him up from work.

“Hello Noctis.” Prompto said cheerfully as he held a fabric shopping bag aloft. “I have some stuff for you from Ignis and Gladio.”

“Come in." Noctis finally managed to choke out.

“Where do you want me to put this?” Prompto asked as he entered, looking around and taking in the little details of Noctis’ home with curious eyes.

“Um, you can just put it in the kitchen, if you want.” Noctis replied.

“Sit down, rest." Prompto said with a light laugh.

Noctis could feel his entire face burning as he sat down heavily. Astrals, Prompto probably thought he was some kind of weirdo. 

He was snapped out of his embarrassment as he heard Prompto give a terrified squeak. Noctis lurched to his feet and walked as quickly as his back would allow. Prompto was valiantly trying to avoid Umbra’s jumps and licks. 

Noctis whistled and Umbra stopped instantly. “Here.” he said, Umbra trotted over obediently.

“So-sorry.” Prompto stammered.

“I should have warned you about him." Noctis said as he eased himself into a stool. “Are you scared of dogs?”

“Just a bit nervous." Prompto laughed shakily. 

Noctis nodded in understanding, giving Prompto a once over before noticing that he was clutching at his chest. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel okay but Ignis insisted that I stayed off work until Monday.” he sighed. Noctis noticed that Prompto wouldn’t take his eyes off Umbra.

“I can lock him up, if you want?” Noctis offered.

“Oh no, it's okay. I don't want you moving around anymore than you have to. I'll just leave.” Prompto said, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Please stay." Noctis blurted out. Prompto looked at him, confusion in his pretty blue eyes. “I've been feeling kinda lonely.” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Prompto nodded, smiling. “Okay."

They walked out the kitchen, Noctis made Umbra go into the bathroom and she shut the door behind him. Umbra would be fine in there by himself.

“Do you mind cats? I have a cat too." Noctis asked.

“Oh, cats are fine.” Prompto said as he sat down on the sofa.

“So, what’s wrong with dogs?”

Prompto shrugged. “I have a lot of nightmares about dogs."

“Fair enough." Noctis grunted, leaning back into the seat and closing his eyes. His back spasmed in protest and he groaned.

“Do you want a massage?” Prompto asked. Noctis snapped his eyes open as Prompto started to turn red. “I-I mean if you think it will help."

Noctis didn't know if he could trust his body to behave but there was absolutely no way he was going to turn down the opportunity of having Prompto’s hands touching him. “It might.” he replied, trying to not sound desperate.

“Okay, um... do you have anywhere to lay down?”

“Probably just my bed." Noctis said, desperately trying to remember the state he left his bedroom in.

Noctis tried to stand up but his back immediately protested and his leg went numb again. He would have fell if Prompto didn't catch him. Prompto's hands were strong and warm around his waist as he helped Noctis limp to his room.

“Thanks.” Noctis said as he lay face down. 

“No problem." Prompto said. “Oh! Your cat is so cute."

Noctis turned his head to see Prompto petting Stuart who was sitting on top of his cupboard. Stuart, who was usually very moody with Noctis, was purring and rubbing himself on Prompto’s hand.

“Wow Stuart, thanks a lot" Noctis grumbled. “He's usually so moody it's incredible.”

Stuart glared at him disapprovingly as he jumped down and strutted out of the room.

Prompto laughed, “Okay, have you got anything I can use as oil?”

Noctis resisted directing him to the lube in his bedside drawer. “There should be a moisturiser in the bathroom.”

Noctis struggled out of his shirt and tried to get comfortable on his stomach as Prompto went to grab the moisturiser. When Prompto returned, Noctis heard him let out a small gasp. Noctis knew the scar looked bad; it ran from his left shoulder to his right hip. It got progressively deeper and right side of the scar was still angry and red, even if the injury did happen twenty years ago. It was fearsome scar on an adult, and he dreaded to think what it looked like when he was eight.

He felt Prompto's fingers gently run along it. His hand moved away, Noctis shivered at the loss of contact. “You've got to tell me if it hurts.” Prompto said gently.

Noctis nodded.

He heard the moisturiser bottle being squeezed before he felt Prompto’s hands on his back. It was cold and soothing for the inflamed muscles. Noctis had no idea how many times Prompto had given a massage, but he was good at it. His fingers were strong as they rubbed every ache away.

“How did it happen?” he asked quietly.

“Car accident. I was eight." Noctis replied, hesitating a moment before he decided to tell the whole story. “My mother and I were on our way back from the botanical gardens when we were hit by a drunk driver. She swerved at the last second and it hit her side of the car instead of mine. She died on impact.”

Noctis felt Prompto's hands still. “What happened to the driver?”

“He died too." Noctis replied, “I was the only one who survived.”

Prompto started to rub his back again, but Noctis could feel his hands shaking. “I don't remember my mother.”

“You don't?”

“My dad found me at the border to Niflheim.” Prompto replied. “He adopted me soon after. I don't know who my biological father is either."

Noctis didn't know what to say. “That sucks." he said before mentally slapping himself.

Prompto laughed quietly as he rubbed his thumbs into Noctis’s right hip. It ached but pleasantly so. “I'm not that bothered, my dad is amazing.”

Noctis bit his lip to hold in the moan that was building in his throat as Prompto managed to ease the tension in a particularly sore spot.

“How about your dad?" Prompto asked.

“He's, um…” Noctis coughed. “He’s dead too." he replied quietly, not wanting Prompto to feel guilty for asking.

“I'm so sorry Noct.” he squeaked. His heart started thudding violently at the use of the nickname. He was Prompto would be able to feel it on his back.

“It's okay." Noctis said trying to sound reassuring. “There's no way you could have known."

They were silent for a moment before Noctis decided to tell the story. He didn't know why he was telling Prompto about his tragic childhood but he was. Prompto was easy to open up to, he felt comfortable. “He was murdered, it's why I became a police officer. The case was unsolved and I wanted to solve it, but I couldn't. There wasn’t enough evidence,”

Prompto went still. Noctis felt something warm and wet hit him in a dry part of his back. He angled his head to see behind him and saw Prompto was silently crying. Astrals, what was wrong with him? The last thing he wanted to do was make Prompto cry.

“Prompto?”

He quickly wiped his hands on a towel he must have gotten from the bathroom when he got the moisturiser. “I've got to go." he said hastily before getting up and almost bolting out the door.

Noctis quickly scrambled to his feet and pulled on his t-shirt. By the time he made it to the front door, his back was starting to protest again. It had just gotten dark enough for the streetlights to turn on. Noctis managed to catch Prompto by the street light.

“I’m-I’m sorry." Prompto stammered.

Noctis’ words got caught in his throat. He looked so pretty standing there, his face flushed from the cold and hair plastered to his head from the rain, Noctis couldn't control himself any longer. He grabbed Prompto’s chin with his fingers and raised it. He pressed his lips gently against Prompto’s and his entire world melted. He couldn't feel the rain. He couldn't feel the pain in his back. All he was aware of was the feel of Prompto’s lips against his own.

When he pulled back, Prompto opened his eyes wide. “I've got to go." he said quickly before turning and sprinting down the road.

Noctis’s heart sunk. He messed this up, badly. “Prompto! Wait!” he called out but the sound was swallowed by the rain.

_

Prompto’s mind was racing as he ran.

Noctis kissed him.

His lips were tingling and he skidded to a halt, trying to rub the feeling off. He gasped and shook as he started to run again. He needed to get away.

He got home in record time and locked himself in the bathroom, ignoring his dad calling out to him. He stripped off his wet clothes and sat in the bottom of the shower, struggling to catch his breath. His chest felt tight as he trembled. He reached up and turned the water up as high as it would go and tried to calm down in the hot spray.

When he had calmed down enough to remember how to breathe, his mind went back to the kiss. He rubbed his thumb along his lower lip, remembering the feel of Noctis’ mouth on his.

Then he thought more about Noctis. The way he hadn’t hesitated to defend his honour when Tredd had insulted him. The way he always went out of his way to make sure Prompto was okay. The way his dark hair fell over his face as he bit his tongue when he was concentrating.The way his blue eyes sparkled when he found a new lead. The feeling of his hand on his arm when he pulled him back so he could catch Hiyori Toono. They way his back felt under Prompto's hands.

Prompto groaned as he held his head in his hands. Why did he run away from Noctis after he kissed him? He’d probably ruined everything.

He got out of the shower and quickly dried himself off before getting dressed. His dad was waiting for him outside when he left the bathroom.

“Are you okay, Prom?”

Prompto nodded once but couldn't hold it anymore and burst into tears.

His dad immediately pulled him into a hug. “It's okay..." he said gently, rubbing small circles across Prompto’s back.

“It's not!" Prompto sobbed, “I've done something so dumb, I should win stupidest person of the year!”

Cor pulled Prompto onto the floor and held him as he cried. “What did you do?”

“Noctis kissed me and I freaked out and ran away but I think I like him.” Prompto sniffed.

“So… what's the problem?” Cor asked, looking confused.

“He's probably so annoyed that I ran away he'll never speak to me again." 

“I doubt that. I think you should go back and talk to this Noctis boy, tell him how you feel."

“But everything happened so fast, I’m scared." Prompto said, clutching his dad’s shirt tightly.

“Tell him that." Cor suggested. “If he really does like you he'd understand. Give him the benefit of the doubt at least.”

Prompto nodded slowly. “Could you give me a lift over there?”

Cor nodded and hauled Prompto to his feet.

_

Noctis was considering running away and never coming back. He couldn't believe he was so dumb to think that Prompto would be interested in him. He was just being friendly and Noctis completely misread the cues.

He must have laying the floor by his front door for an hour, back throbbing to remind him of his stupidity, before the door knocked.

He stiffly got to his feet and opened it. The last person he expected to see was Prompto yet there he was. His hair was dry now, it looked so fluffy and smooth that Noctis wanted to run his hands through it.

“Prompto, I'm so sor-" he started before Prompto put his hand on his chest to silence him. Noctis blushed at the contact.

Prompto took a deep breath before speaking. “I like you Noctis, but I want to take things slow. It scared me when you kissed me because I've never been in a relationship before and it did kinda come out of nowhere quite suddenly. I think we should start off by going on a date before we rush into things.”

“Taking it slow, okay, I can do that.” Noctis grinned. He wanted to hug Prompto but didn't want to scare him off again. “How about Friday for that date?” 

Prompto nodded with a grin. “Friday." he confirmed, leaning in to give Noctis a quick peck on the cheek before turning around and skipping back to the car that was waiting for him.

Noctis slowly brought his hand up to touch the spot that Prompto had kissed with a dreamy smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (人◕ω◕)
> 
> we didn't get much (or any) feedback on the last chapter :(( comments mean a lot to us as we crave the validation and it motivates us to write, hopefully we can get some more love on this chapter? xoxo - L


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summertime \- My Chemical Romance - P  
> [Sunset Lover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVIFQJiPWvc) \- Petit Biscuit - L

On Monday morning, Noctis picked Prompto up from his house even though Prompto was now aware that he was going out of his way. Realistically, he could spend an extra few minutes in bed instead of taking the journey to get Prompto, but he would rather spend those few minutes with Prompto instead of dreaming of him. Noctis expected there to be some awkwardness after the events yesterday, but Prompto was his usual cheery self.

When they got into work, he was expecting Aranea and Iris to know about his date with Prompto in four days time, not that he was counting down the seconds or anything, due to the fact that he couldn’t wipe the excited expression off his face. However, Aranea looked at him with her usual disgusted expression that she tended to sport whenever Noctis entered a room, and Iris was too busy on her phone to even notice that they had arrived.

Ignis greeted them with a pleased smile. “Welcome back you two. It’s great to have you both back and looking well.” he said.

“Yeah, because we couldn't possibly cope without them." Aranea muttered sarcastically, inspecting her manicure.

“Well, we have work for you already prepared. Noctis, you need to go to Lestallum.” Ignis said, looking at his paperwork. “The Haruka Nanase case has gone to trial and Hiyori Tono is pleading not guilty.”

Noctis groaned. “Astrals sake. There were three witnesses on scene when he confessed!”

“Well, you need to testify and present the magic evidence to the court because you’re the local expert.”

“Why are you making me suffer?” Noctis complained loudly.

Prompto raised his hand shyly. “Would I need to go as well to corroborate Noct’s story?”

Aranea’s eyes widened as she noticed Prompto said Noct instead of Noctis.

Ignis nodded, not seeming to notice. “Yes you're probably right. I want to send Luna as well so she can coach you both in proper courtroom etiquette.”

“I'm fine in the courtroom Specs." Noctis protested.

“No, you're not." Luna said as she passed, a stack of paperwork in her arms. “You tried to fight a member of the jury last time."

“She was staring at me."

“You were talking! It's polite to look at someone when they're talking!” Ignis half shouted.

Noctis looked at him defiantly and raised his fingers to his forehead, making them form a ‘W’.

“Nobody has done that for ten years.” Aranea guffawed.

“Anyway,” Ignis interrupted, “Prompto should be mostly fine, just need to work on your confidence." 

Prompto nodded and blushed.

“How long are we going to be stuck in Lestallum?” Noctis asked.

“Well, you need to present your evidence tomorrow morning at ten and testify on Wednesday at four, but you aren't allowed to leave until Friday afternoon in case the court needs you.”

“Five days?” Noctis groaned. “Five days in Lestallum in a dumb hotel."

“Well, you'll be staying in the Leville so it's not a dumb hotel.” Ignis sniffed.

“Can't we just go back every night?” Noctis asked.

“If you want to wake up at four o’clock every morning to get there, be my guest.”

“I've never been to Lestallum" Prompto said mildly. “Is it nice?”

“It's hotter than Ifrit's balls" Noctis replied.

Ignis ignored him. “It's warm there due to the heat radiating from the meteor, and it's nearly always sunny. You should definitely pack sun cream Prompto. Your pale complexion would make sunburn more likely.”

Prompto nodded. “I'll pack light clothes as well.”

“I only own black." Noctis complained, but everyone ignored him.

“Well, we better leave as soon as possible." Luna said. “I'll go and say goodbye to Nyx and then we can go get your things."

“If you're saying goodbye to Nyx, you're gonna take forever. I’ll go take Prompto to get his stuff, come back for you and then we can just stop and grab ours on the way out.” Noctis said.

“Astrals sake Noctis, quit whining!” Aranea snapped, slamming her manicured hands down on her desk.

Prompto jumped in shock, making Noctis angrily narrow his eyes at her as he walked away without a comment.

“I'll see you guys next week then." Prompto said, following Noctis with a wave.

When they pulled up outside Prompto's house, he saw his dad's car was still in the driveway. “Good, he’s home." Prompto said to himself, climbing out.

“I'll wait here." Noctis said, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. “Don’t bother rushing. I meant it when I said Luna will take forever.” Prompto acknowledged him with a nod before heading towards his house.

He called out to his dad as he opened the front door. Cor joined him in the hallway, looking concerned.

“Prompto? You’re home early. Is everything okay?”

Prompto nodded. “Everything’s fine! I’m being sent to Lestallum for a few days to help out in a court case. I probably won’t be back until early on Saturday morning.”

Cor's frown deepened. “Are you sure you'll be okay away from home for that long?”

“I think I'll be okay” Prompto said, trying to not let his anxiety show. The longest he had been away from his dad was when he went to Duscae and that was only two days. 

“Make sure you pack your pills, and don't forget to take them." Cor said, hugging him tightly. “Also text me at least twice a day. I need to know you're safe."

Prompto hugged him tightly back. “I will don't worry."

“Who are you going with?” he asked, pulling away.

“Noctis and Luna." 

Cor hummed thoughtfully. “Make sure that Noctis boy doesn’t pressure you into anything."

Prompto tilted his head in confusion. “Pressure me? What do you mean?” 

Cor cleared his throat. “Well, you may get certain urges-" 

Prompto squeaked and cut him off with a manic wave of his hands. “No, no, no, that's not gonna happen! Why did you think it would? I freaked out about kissing him dad!”

“Just make sure if you do, you use protection." 

“Dad, I need to pack!" Prompto said quickly, running up the stairs to escape his embarrassment.

“Don’t forget to pack condoms!” Cor shouted after him.

“Dad!” Prompto gasped in horror.

“And lube!”

“Dad, please stop!”

 

Prompto couldn't even look at Noctis when he got back into the car. His dad had followed him upstairs and continued his sex lecture.

Noctis opened his eyes and took in Prompto's horrified expression. “You okay?”

“Yeah I'm good." he said, voice high pitched.

“You sure?”

“Never been better,” he squeaked “let’s go.”

_

The drive to Lestallum was long. By the time Noctis and Luna had grabbed their things, it was already midday and when they arrived in the humid city, it was dark. Even at night, the air was hot and thick. 

Luna lead them to the hotel and left them at the seating area as she checked them in. She returned after a few minutes of talking to the clerk. “There’s been a slight problem.” she smiled apologetically “You two will have to share a room on Thursday night. They accidentally double booked the room.” 

“Sure, no problem." Noctis said, stomach flipping violently.

Luna handed them their key cards. “I want you both here tomorrow morning at eight."

“But why? I don't need be there until ten." Noctis whined.

“Because I need to help you prepare to present your evidence. You are not good at being articulate. If you are not here by then Noctis, I swear to Shiva I will remove your testicles from your body.”

“Okay, okay. No need to be so violent.” Noctis grumbled.

In the elevator, Luna got off on the third floor, leaving Noctis and Prompto alone. 

“Hey, Noct?” Prompto said. Noctis looked over at him. “We won't be back in time for our date on Friday.” he looked disappointed.

“Oh, yeah." Noctis said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, how about Wednesday? Wind down after the court case?”

“Yeah sure, Wednesday is good with me." Prompto agreed with a small smile.

_

The next day, Noctis made it downstairs by eight, like Luna wanted. She was waiting, but strangely Prompto wasn't there. He had never been late before and Noctis was a little worried. “Hey where's Prompto?” he asked Luna.

“He said he'd be down in a few minutes." Luna answered with a shrug.

“If I was late you'd go crazy." Noctis grumbled.

“Because you wouldn't bother to let me know. Prompto let me know half an hour ago.”

Noctis was about to ask how that was fair when the elevator pinged and Prompto walked out. Noctis we going to ask where he'd been but was soon distracted by the fact Prompto’s right arm was bright pink, but when he turned to the side, he saw the back of his arm was still white. The burn was a perfect straight line. He couldn't help but laugh.

“It's not funny!” Prompto whined.

“Why didn't you put on suncream?” Luna asked over Noctis’ hysterical laughter.

“I did! I don't know what happened.” Prompto replied miserably. “And it gets worse."

Prompto pulled up the right sleeve of his black short sleeved shirt, revealing a patch of bright red sunburn on his right armpit. Noctis was laughing so hard he doubled over clutching his stomach.

“How did that even happen?” Luna asked incredulously.

“I think the suncream came off when I put deodorant on but I'm not sure.” Prompto replied.

“Please put it away before I pee myself." Noctis wheezed. 

Prompto groaned as he pulled his sleeve down, “It really hurts."

Luna gently grabbed his arm and examined the burn. “We'll get you some lotion on the way to the courtroom.” She said.

 

They ate breakfast outside, but sat in the shade to avoid Prompto burning himself any further. Luna gave Noctis the notes she had made for him. “In there is everything you need to say. Answer the questions politely and simply."

“I can do that." Noctis said, scanning the papers quickly.

“Let's have a practice. Prompto, pretend you're Hiyori’s defence and ask a question."

“Oh, okay.” Prompto replied. “How could you tell that Mr. Tono used ice magic? You claimed there was no doubt he did.”

“There was freeze burn on his hands." Noctis replied.

“But couldn't that be a coincidence? Couldn't he have been doing something in the cold and the ice burn came from that?”

Noctis sighed. “No, that's not possible. If it wasn't from an ice spell, it would have caused frostbite. Also, when we confronted him, the room became colder. He was willing and able to use ice magic."

“That would have been good if you didn't sigh." Luna said.

“I know, but it's so frustrating that they call me an expert and then question everything I say."

“You need to make the jury like you. If they like you, they'll be more likely to agree with you.”

“Who's the defence attorney?” Noctis asked.

“Don't go mad, but it's Dino Ghiranze.” Luna said quietly.

“Not him! He's literally the worst person in the world!”

“We do catch murderers, Noct.” Prompto laughed.

“He's worse, trust me." Noctis said, expression serious. “He'll rile me up, I know he will. I can't be nice to him and he knows it."

“Just pretend you’re talking to Prompto." Luna suggested.

Noctis sighed dramatically. “I'll try."

_

On Wednesday, after all their courtroom appearances, Noctis was getting how much he hated Dino out of his system. Luna wouldn't let him do it before as she thought his bad attitude would end up leaking into the courtroom.

Prompto was bored of hearing his endless complaints so he wandered over to the viewers that pointed toward Disk of Cauthess. He put a gil in the coin slot and looked through to see the meteor that jutted out the ground spectacularly. Legend says that the Archean caught the meteor before it could destroy the earth and that he still holds the tremendous weight on his shoulders to this day, but Prompto couldn’t see any sign of him. No one could get close to meteor due to the intense heat. Prompto sighed disappointedly when his view changed to the black of the shutters, indicating that his time had run out. 

He looked around to see where Noctis and Luna were, spotting them stood at edge of the viewing platform. Prompto couldn’t hear them, but from the way Noctis’ arms were waving around and the look of intense boredom on Luna’s face, he gathered that Noctis was still complaining. 

He walked over just as Luna yelled at Noctis to shut up. “We get it Noctis, you hate Dino Ghiranze!”

Noctis’ mouth snapped shut and he shot her a glare.

“Uh, guys? Everything okay?” Prompto asked as he approached.

“I don’t know. Are you done, Noctis?” He crossed his arms and replied with a grunt. Luna’s annoyed frown quickly transformed to a pleased grin. “Great!”

They walked slowly back to the hotel together. When Luna left them alone in the elevator, Noctis turned to Prompto. “Meet me back in the lobby in an hour?”

Prompto nodded nervously. “I'll be waiting."

As soon as Prompto reached his room, he quickly stripped off his shirt and shimmied out of his shoes and jeans. He felt sticky from sweat after their long day and wanted to shower before his date with Noctis.

After he had showered and dried off, he stood over his suitcase and surveyed the clothes he had left. He anxiously wanted to know exactly what Noctis had planned out for their evening, but he knew asking would be fruitless, Noctis would never tell him. Instead, he sent him a quick a text; dress code?

His phone pinged with a reply a few moments later. Casual. Well that was vague.

Prompto settled on a plain white, oversized shirt and blue skinny jeans. He knew he had good legs and wanted to show them off as much as possible. For shoes, he wore his work shoes. They were smart and black.

He finished with a few minutes to spare, so he shoved his phone and wallet into his pocket and headed to the lobby early.

Surprisingly, Noctis was already there. He stood up quickly and grinned as Prompto approached. “Hey Prompto."

His outfit looked pretty much the same as usual, black shirt and black jeans. However, when he got closer, Prompto noticed the shirt was different. It had slightly lighter thread running through the fabric, giving it a shimmery effect. “You look great." Prompto smiled shyly, fighting the blush that crept up his neck.

He lost that battle, however, when Noctis said “Not as great as you." Prompto ducked his head, making his bangs cover his face to hide the blush.

“What's the plan then?” Prompto squeaked.

“It's a secret." Noctis replied with a wink. He held out his hand in invitation and Prompto held it shyly. He tugged Prompto’s hand and led him out of the hotel. He quickly lost his way in the intricate network of alleys and streets, but Noctis seemed to know where he was going.

Suddenly, they reached the edge of the city. The buildings ended and they were out in the open. Prompto gasped as his eyes beheld a quaint, outdoor restaurant. There were small fairy lights hung overhead and small, artificial trees were placed along one side. Each table was covered in white table cloths with a small organisation of succulents and large, glass bottle of water placed in the centre. Music was playing softly in the background.

Noctis spoke to a waiter for a moment before leading them to a table in the middle. Noctis let go of Prompto’s hand to pull out his chair, giving him a gentle smile as he sat down. Prompto looked up and noticed that their table was placed under a circle formed by the lights. He could see thousands of stars twinkling in the night sky from this angle.

“Wow." he sighed in awe.

“I know, you don't get this sort of view in Insomnia." Noctis commented.

The air was filled with the sound of their lighthearted chatter until the waiter approached with two glasses of wine. Noctis took them both and quickly threw back Prompto’s glass before taking the bottle of water and filling it up and passing it back to him. Prompto gave him a look of confusion.

“Don’t want a repeat of what happened last time you drank, Nyx isn’t here to carry you,” Noctis teased. 

Prompto laughed and opened the menu, raising it to hide his flushed cheeks. Taking a glance at the menu, the first thing he noticed that there weren’t any prices. That meant one thing, this place was expensive.

His apprehension must have shown on his face because Noctis grabbed his hand across the table. “Don't worry, I'm paying."

“But-" Prompto started, guilt gnawing at his gut.

“Please Prompto, I want to.” Noctis insisted. 

He nodded slowly and tried to relax as he noticed a waiter approaching.

“Have you decided what you would like, sirs?” the waiter asked.

“I'll have the Grilled Barramundi.” Noctis ordered.

“Could I have the peppery daggerquill rice?” Prompto asked politely.

The waiter bowed again after taking down their orders and walked off.

“This place is so nice." Prompto said with a contented sigh.

“I bet the food will be great."

_

After their meal, they took a walk across the outlook in comfortable silence before heading back to their hotel where Noctis walked Prompto back to his room. At the door, Prompto spun around with a smile. “Thank you Noctis, I had a great time tonight.”

“I had fun too." Noctis said with a shy smile. “Goodnight, Prompto."

He turned to walk away but Prompto grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back gently. Prompto leaned in and quickly kissed him on cheek, close the corner of his mouth. When he pulled away, his face was red. “Goodnight, Noct.”

Prompto quickly dashed into his room and closed the door behind him, leaving Noctis in the hallway. He leaned on the door behind him and sighed happily. He looked up and saw himself in the mirror, his cheeks were as pink as his sunburn and his grin made his dimples apparent. 

With a small groan, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and made a call to his dad.

He picked up quickly. “Hey Prom-pom."

“Hey dad, how have you been?” Prompto asked.

He complained about their neighbours for a bit, but then asked Prompto what he had been up to.

“I just got back from a date with Noctis.” he said quietly.

“Were you safe? Did you find the condoms and lube I put in your bag?”

“Dad, I didn't sleep with him! We've had one date." Prompto grumbled. “And yes, I did find what you put in my bag."

“Did you kiss him at least?”

“Kind of, on the cheek."

Cor laughed. “You need to do more than that my boy."

“Dad, stop it! We’ve agreed to take things slow.” Prompto whined. “I have to share a room with him tomorrow and I'm really nervous."

“Why?” There was a clink on the other line that sounded like Cor had placed down a glass.

“There was a problem with the booking, they must’ve double booked ” Prompto explained.

“I thought you shared a room in Duscae?” he questioned.

“Yeah, but Ignis was with us too and that was before we kissed, it's gonna be weird."

“You sound stressed, have you been taking your pills?” 

“Yes dad, don't worry."

“I can't help it Prom, I miss you."

“I miss you too, dad. I’ll see you soon.” He sighed.

They said their goodbyes and Prompto hung up, now feeling overwhelmed.

_

They had all been stationed at the courthouse all day and Noctis was tired. He helped Prompto carry his bags to the room they were now sharing.

Prompto perched himself on the bed that wasn't covered in Noctis’s clothes. “How is it so messy in here?” he asked, inspecting the room.

“I'm not gonna lie to you,” Noctis said “I couldn't be bothered to tidy up." 

Prompto laughed. “That’s fair enough I guess."

They got changed into their pyjamas and climbed into bed. Prompto had shoved the duvet to the edge of the bed and curled up into a small ball.

After half an hour, Noctis was so warm he could barely breathe. He must have been fidgeting a lot because Prompto sat and up and looked over. “Are you okay?”

“Just warm." Noctis replied, shifting the covers around.

“Why are you under the covers then?” 

Noctis sighed. He knew he would have to explain this eventually. “I can't sleep unless my ears are covered."

“Why?” Prompto asked.

“Don't laugh, but I have a phobia of bugs crawling into my ears."

He heard Prompto quickly stifle a laugh. “That's really specific.” he choked out.

Noctis sat up and looked at Prompto's silhouette illuminated by the glow of lights outside the window. “Look, I saw a programme when I was a kid and someone had to get a bug surgically removed from their ear and it really scared me. It's why I grew my hair long and everything.”

Prompto lay back down with a small chuckle. “You're so weird sometimes Noct.”

Noctis sat there for a while longer, admiring Prompto’s form in the silvers of light peeking through the window until he noticed that his breathing had evened out. With a content sigh, he buried himself under his sheets once again before closing his eyes, hoping for freckle filled dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we based prompto's sunburn on the sunburn lahoera had last year, it was so funny - P  
> it wasn't funny, it really hurt... i have a tendency to get awkward burns in awkward places every year, this summer it was my arm pit :)))) - L


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Infinity \- Young Guns- P  
> [Always Forever](https://youtu.be/x7_jYYISAbM) \- Cults - L

Two months after Lestallum, Prompto finally felt like he fit in at the LBI. It was helped as well by the weekly dates with Noctis. The only person who knew they were dating was Prompto’s dad, and they aimed to keep it that way for as long as possible.

For date number ten, Noctis told Prompto to bring his camera and meet him by the statue of Shiva in the park. It was only an hour until sunset when Prompto met up with Noctis. “Why did you tell me to bring my camera?” Prompto asked, holding it up.

“Easy," Noctis replied with an easy smile. “You remember when I found your photo album and you said you've been too busy to take photos and you miss it? Well here's your chance.”

Prompto smiled. “So we just came here to take photos?”

Noctis nodded. “For as long as you want."

Prompto was delighted. Noctis followed him around for the better part of two hours as he took photos of everything that caught his eye, including a few of Noctis he was going to save for himself. 

When it got too dark to take photos without a flash, they sat on the edge of the fountain together as Prompto showed Noctis the photos he took.

“Thank you for this Noct," Prompto said, “this couldn't have been very exciting for you."

“Nah, I like watching you have a good time." Noctis replied sincerely, throwing his arm around Prompto's shoulders.

Prompto smiled as he turned to look at Noctis who was looking down at the screen of his camera with interest. He knew he was only interested because it was Prompto showing him, and that realisation made Prompto’s chest ache with adoration. He had no idea what he did to deserve a guy like Noctis, but he wasn't going to complain.

He started at Noctis’ lips, remembering the feeling of those lips against his own that time outside Noctis’ house. He made a sudden decision, and leaned forwards, capturing Noctis’s lips in a gentle kiss. Noctis made a small sound of surprise but leaned into Prompto and threaded his fingers through his blonde tresses. The kiss was turned messy and desperate, and when Noctis’ tongue touched Prompto's, he shivered with the unexpected sensation.

They were interrupted by the loud ringing of Prompto’s phone. He pulled away, both of them breathless, and looked at the caller ID. It was Ignis. He breathed deep a few times to try and get his breathing back under control before he answered. “Hey, Ignis." he said, looking at Noctis pointedly so he wouldn't interrupt.

“Prompto, I'm sorry to call you so late but another body has turned up. We think it's the serial killer. You need to come in.”

“I'll be there as soon as possible Ignis." Prompto replied before hanging up.

“What's going on?” Noctis asked.

“A body has turned up, I need to go." Prompto said quickly, gathering up his things. “I had a really good time today Noct.”

Noctis gave a quick nod of acknowledgement. “Me too,” He quickly stood and followed Prompto as he turned to leave. “I’ll drive you in.”

“Sure, thanks.” Prompto agreed. Together, they headed over to Noctis’ car that was parked just outside of the park.

When they pulled up in the LBI garage, Noctis turned to Prompto. “Thanks for trusting me enough to kiss me."

Prompto smiled shyly, “I'd like to do that again sometime."

“I would too." Noctis agreed.

Together, they got out of the car and quickly entered the building. They were stopped by one of the security guards, Libertus, before they stepped into elevator. “Hey Prompto, glad I caught you. Someone left this at reception for you." he said as he handed over an envelope. 

Prompto turned it in his hands, inspecting it curiously, but all it had on it was his name. “Okay thanks, Libertus." he said before stepping back and letting the elevator doors close.

“What is it?” Noctis asked, looking at the envelope curiously.

“I don't know." Prompto replied. Carefully, he opened the envelope. Inside were two pieces of folded paper. He unfolded one of them, all it had on it was a small handwritten note; _blondes look best in blood. I hope you enjoyed my last gifts my dear Prompto._ With shaking hands, he pulled out the other piece of paper. It was a photo, of what was clearly a body. A man, with blonde hair, lay on the floor with his arms crossed over his chest. His stomach had been cut open with a neat slice, probably with a knife a sword, and his intestines had been removed and neatly arranged around the body. Over the mans eyes, were two coins. He wordlessly passed the photo to Noctis. 

Noctis’s mouth tightened as he examined the image. “How do they know who you are?”

Noctis handed the photo back to Prompto when the elevator came to a stop and they both rushed out. It was eerily quiet in the office, Ignis was the only one there. “Ah Prompto, you’re here.” he said as he approached. “And Noctis I see, why are you here may I ask?”

“Uhh…” Noctis struggled to answer. 

“We were hanging out when I got your call." Prompto replied, handing Ignis the envelope.

Ignis squinted suspiciously at the two but was more interested in the envelope than by Noctis and Prompto being together after work. Pulling out the envelopes contents, his eyes widened as he looked at the photo. “Where did you get this?” he questioned.

“Libertus said it was left at the front desk for me." Prompto answered.

Ignis handed Prompto a file. “We've got a preliminary report, and from the crime scene photos, I believe that whoever sent this to you must have committed the murder." 

Prompto opened the file and took out the crime scene photos. The victim was the same man from the letter he had been sent. “Yes, this is definitely the same victim.”

“We better head out Prompto, are you coming Noctis?” Ignis asked, quickly gathering up files and shoving them into a briefcase.

“Yeah, sure." Noctis replied, “You could probably do with the backup."

“I assure you we can survive this without backup." Ignis sniffed, “but you are welcome to come."

When they got back to the garage, Noctis unlocked his car. “Might as well take mine, and then I can take you both home after." Ignis gave him a questioning look as he climbed in. In all the time he’d known Noctis, he hadn’t offered to drop anyone home after work before.

Prompto settled himself comfortably in the back seat and started to intensely study the case files Ignis have given him.

“What were you two doing together anyway?” Ignis asked.

“Ya know, just hanging out.” Noctis answered evasively.

Ignis sighed at the unsatisfactory answer but decided to not pursue it further, he knew Noctis’ well enough to know that he wouldn’t be able to pry an answer out of the man. After a few directions from Ignis, they soon arrived at the crime scene and all clambered out of the car. Prompto was staring at the crime scene photos so intently that he almost tripped over the curb as he walked. Noctis grabbed him by the back of his shirt and steadied him before he could fall. He murmured a quick thanks and continued to walk.

Approaching the officer stood on duty at the tape, they flashed their badges, ducking under the yellow tape before being approached by an older detective with cropped brown hair and serious expression.

“Detective Dave Auburnbrie,” he greeted them “not gonna lie boys, this is a messy one,”

“Thanks for the heads up." Noctis said.

“Has the body been moved?” Ignis asked, pushing his glasses up as they slipped down his nose.

“Not yet." Dave replied grimly.

“We'll have a preliminary investigation then we can get the body moved.” Ignis said.

Dave stopped and indicated for them to go forward, “There's still a lot going on there so mind your step."

All of the crime scene technicians knew they were LBI, so they moved off the scene, apart from one. She glared at them as they entered. “I don't appreciate you LBI guys disturbing my crime scene.”

“We mean no disrespect Crowe," Ignis said, “We think this might be the work of a serial killer we’re currently investigating.”

Crowe grunted once but stepped aside. “Just be quick."

“Crowe is Nyx’s foster sister," Noctis told Prompto quietly. “She doesn't like us much.”

Prompto acknowledged him with a nod, but was made speechless by the sight of the body in front of him. It seemed so much worse in real life than it did in the photos.

“There's so many conflicting things here." Prompto observed, squatting down.

“What do you mean?” Noctis asked.

Prompto indicated to the arms crossed over the chest. “This is what they do to bodies before they're buried to make them seem more dignified. This would suggest he feels remorse and wants to give them back dignity, but the rest of the scene contradicts this.” he stood and gestured to the scene around the body. “The display of the body parts makes this seem more like he wants to make them into a work of art, and the note would also indicate this."

Ignis nodded and wrote down some notes. “Do you know the significance of the coins?”

“It’s an ancient tradition. Money to pay the ferryman, an underworld spirit if, who would transport their souls to the gates of the afterlife. It’s believed that if the price could not be paid the deceased ones soul would be left to wander the earth, tormenting the living as a ghost. This would suggest he cares for the victims. But it could also just be an artistic aesthetic of his.”

“This is weird. You're right about the conflictions.” Noctis said. “And the way he was gutted… looks like something a hunter would do to their kill."

Prompto pulled out the note. “He's described them as gifts. Everything he has done is deliberate. This must be exactly what he wants.”

He scanned the rest of the alley for any other clues, but found nothing of significance. “It's strange, he obviously prepared the body here, but there isn't a lot of blood. Did he kill him elsewhere?” Noctis wondered out loud.

Prompto asked a passing tech for some gloves and they passed him a box. Prompto passed Noctis the letter and snapped the gloves on. Ever so gently, he lifted the arms up and noticed two large holes in both wrists. “I think he was drained of blood, just enough so he didn't die. This would make him weak and would make less mess when he prepared the body, but I think he was alive when his intestines were removed.”

Ignis’ mouth tightened. “So we’re dealing with a sadistic psychopath who enjoys watching his victims suffer,”

Dave approached them and looked at the body sadly. “The coroner is here, are you guys done for now?”

Ignis nodded. “We'll go to the coroner's office tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you for coming out.” Dave said as he shook each of their hands. 

 

Ignis asked to be dropped back at the station, saying he wanted to do some more research and he would get Gladio to pick him up later. He took all the files and Prompto’s letter with him.

“Do you want to go home?” Noctis asked.

Prompto shrugged his shoulders. “Kinda just want to hang out in the car for a bit." 

Noctis drove them to a quiet spot down by the river that flowed through the city and they sat and just watched the boats for a while. Noctis wished he had his fishing gear on him.

“Sorry about cutting our date short Noct." Prompto said quietly.

“I was more bothered by that kiss being cut short.” Noctis joked. “Where did that come from anyway?”

Prompto covered his face with his hands as the blood rushed to his face. ”It just felt right, okay?”

“It really did." Noctis sighed, looking at Prompto fondly, his blonde hair ruffled by the nights gentle breeze.

Prompto glanced at him, face still red. “D-do you want to con-continue it?” he stammered.

Noctis grinned and leaned over. This time, their kiss was slow and sweet. Bringing his hands up to gently cup Prompto’s face, Noctis could feel the heat from Prompto’s flushed expression under his palms. Pulling away, he peppered soft kisses across Prompto’s cheekbones.

“What was that for?” Prompto asked, blinking in blissful confusion.

“I like your freckles." Noctis replied shyly, caressing Prompto’s cheek with his thumb.

“You're such a dork sometimes Noct." Prompto sighed, moving in to meet Noctis’ lips once more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything \- Holding Absence - P  
> [The Little Things](https://youtu.be/BU_B8nHrJLY) \- Big Gigantic - L

Prompto was stressed, he was currently waiting for Ignis at the coroner’s office and the bespectacled man was unusually late. He paced back and forth anxiously for almost ten minutes before deciding to call him.

Ignis turned up just as Prompto fished his phone out of his pocket. His cheeks were flushed and he was struggling to carry and armfull of paperwork. “I’m very sorry I’m late Prompto.” he said. 

Prompto brushed off his apology with a smile as he rushed forward to take some of the paperwork from Ignis. “No worries, are you okay?” He asked, concerned.

“Yes, I’m fine," Ignis replied breathlessly. “Gladio was, ah, how do I put it? Quite... distracting this morning.” Prompto stifled a laugh from behind the stack of folders. 

“Let's go in then, shall we?" Ignis said, not noticing Prompto’s reaction, or rather, choosing to ignore it. 

Meeting with the coroner did nothing to relieve Prompto’s stress. They had no new information for him. No evidence was found on the body that could aid Prompto in solving this case. Yet again, they had found themselves at a dead end. Noticing Prompto’s crestfallen expression, Ignis’ lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We’ve done all that we possibly can Prompto.”

Prompto let out an exhausted sigh. “I just feel like we’re missing something.” he admitted.

Ignis gave his shoulder a few gentle pats before moving to pick up his load of paperwork. “We can keep looking, but I don’t want this to overwhelm you,”

Prompto glared at the folders in his arms with frustration. “I’ll be okay,” he promised.

_

 

At five o’clock, Prompto waited outside for Gladio to pick him as he usually did after a day at work. Just as Gladio pulled up, a voice calling out to him halted him in his steps. “Hey Prompto! Wait up!” Aranea waved as she caught up to him. “You guys mind if I tag along?”

“Sure, if you think you can keep up with us.” Gladio joked.

“Easily big guy, you ain't so tough." Aranea laughed as she climbed in the back.

“You'll never be faster than ‘just Prompto’ here though.” Gladio commented.

“Oh yeah?” Aranea said, “Well I can try.”

At the gym, Prompto had opted for a tank top instead of his usual t-shirt today, feeling confident with all the work he had been putting into his arms lately. Gladio approached just as Prompto locked his clothes away into a locker. The behemoth of a man was only wearing a pair of shorts, as usual. He had stated he avoided wearing shirts whenever possible, finding them to restrictive against his muscled form. However, today his bare chest was peppered with small bruises. With a grimace, Prompto decided it was best not to question where he had gotten them from, though his eyes did linger on the scar that ran diagonally across his chest.

Aranea joined them, wearing a sports bra paired with yoga pants, and laughed loudly when she saw Gladio’s outfit of choice. “Get some clothes on big guy, we aren’t a strip club.”

“It's warm in here, what can I say?” Gladio retorted.

Aranea strutted closer and poked at one of the bruises adorning his chest. “Well, atleast I can see why Specs was late this morning,” she teased.

“Shut up, Aranea.” Gladio said, giving her shoulder a playful shove.

“So Aranea, you got any work out suggestions? What do you want to do?” Prompto asked.

Aranea shrugged. “I’m just gonna do some cardio, you guys can do what you normally do but later I want to spar with Gladio,” she shot the man a challenging smirk.

“Oh you’re on!” Gladio exclaimed. 

Their usual workout passed by in a blur, only this time instead of the air being filled with casual chatter between the two boys and the occasional grunts of exertion, it was replaced with the playful banter exchanged between Gladio and Aranea. At the end of their session, Prompto followed the two over to the mats as they readied to spar, curious to see who would win. Silently, he rooted for Aranea.

The weapons available to them were dull, but weighted. Gladio selected a large broadsword that was taller than himself, but lifted it easily with just one hand. Prompto’s eyes widened, impressed. Aranea opted for a spear and stood in a ready stance. Gladio walked over to his side of the mat and lifted a finger, indicating for Aranea to wait, before pulling a stick of lip balm out of his pocket.

Both Prompto and Aranea shot him a questioning look. “What the hell was that for?” Aranea asked in confusion.

Gladio shrugged as clicked the lid back on the stick and popped it back in his pocket. “Iggy doesn’t like it when my lips are chapped,” he explained.

“Awh, that’s actually really sweet.” Prompto said, making a mental note to buy himself some lip balm later so he had softer lips for Noctis.

Aranea shook her head but stood ready again. Gladio lifted the sword and grinned. “You sure you're ready for this?”

“I'll destroy you,” Aranea said seriously.

They both stared at each other challengingly for a few moments before Aranea made the first move, bounding forward and jabbing the spear at Gladio’s left leg. He sidestepped the strike easily and swung the sword at her. Aranea nimbly jumped to the side and jabbed the spear at his chest.

Gladio hissed in pain as it made contact with one of his many bruises, but swung the sword downwards. Aranea tried to dodge the swing again but couldn't quite manage it and it clipped her shoulder. Aranea stumbled half a step but quickly regained her balance and hopped backwards out of Gladio’s range.

They continued sparring for another fifteen minutes, neither one giving in. They each managed to land a few hits on each other, but nothing that would decide the match. In a final attempt to best her, Gladio swung the broadsword down with both arms in a powerful downward blow. Aranea used this opportunity to skip around him and sweep his legs out from under him with the shaft of her spear. He grunted as he tumbled to the floor with a heavy thump. Aranea pointed the dull blade at his throat with a smug smirk. Gladio grinned. “Thought I had you there.”

“Defeat me? In your dreams,” she laughed.

Prompto jumped up from his spot on the floor in excitement. “That was incredible!” he gushed.

Aranea smiled and helped Gladio get to his feet, their hands meeting in a high five when he was steady. “Do you want to learn, Prompto?” Gladio asked.

“Ahh no, I don't think I'd be any good." Prompto replied, blushing.

“Sure you would be, blondie,” Aranea grinned.

They settled for getting Prompto to try and pick up the broadsword Gladio had used, he managed to lift it a few inches off the ground much to Aranea and Gladio’s amusement. Gladio snapped a picture of Prompto grinning proudly with his small victory. “I'll send this to Noct and Iggy."

After the three of them changed, they decided to have a drink and quick catch up the gyms cafe. Gladio drank a black coffee with a lot of sugar piled in it whilst Aranea and Prompto had both opted for the hot chocolate which was topped off with a large helping of whipped cream.

“Where did you get all your scars Gladio?” Prompto asked, wiping some cream from his top lip.

He pointed to the one across his forehead. “Noct hit me in the face with a swing in the park when I was ten.”

Prompto laughed, “How old was Noct?”

“Like four,” Gladio chuckled. “He was throwing a tantrum because I told him that it was time to go home.”

“He would still do that now,” Aranea added, sipping her drink.

“Got the other two in a bar fight,” Gladio said, crossing his arms and leaning forward to rest them on the table. “These guys were being assholes to Iggy, one of them pulled out a knife and I jumped in."

“That's so sweet," Prompto gushed. “N-not the knife part though! The part where you jumped to his honor is so romantic.”

Aranea snorted. “Yes, how romantic,” she said with a bored tone. 

Gladio shook his head with a light laugh. “I would take a hundred more knives if it meant Iggy wouldn't get a single scratch. I tried to hide it from him for a while actually, the one on my chest that is, not much I could do about hiding this bad boy on my face.”

“Hide it from him? Why?” Prompto leaned forward, intrigued.

“I knew he would feel guilty about it if he had known, he made enough fuss over my face. He soon found out when he crept in the shower with me one time though,” Gladio explained. “He gave me a right telling off, made me promise never to hide everything from him again. How were we to have a healthy relationship if we were both hiding secrets from each other?”

“Cindy is the same, she always used to hide dumb little things from me. You’re both a pair of idiots if you ask me.” Aranea commented. 

Prompto stayed silent, mulling over Gladio’s words. He was right, Prompto thought. If he was to have a good relationship with Noctis, he supposed he’d better share some of his own demons.

_

When Noctis got a notification on his phone that he had received a picture from Gladio, he was confused, that had never happened before. Face scrunched in confusion, he picked up his phone and opened the message. He let out a quiet gasp as the photo appeared on his screen. It was of Prompto. He was wearing his gym clothes and was holding a practice broadsword nearly twice his height and grinning proudly at the camera. His face was flushed from exertion. Noctis had personally never seen anyone so adorable.

Stuart, who couldn't care less that Noctis was having a lovestruck crisis, pawed his phone out of his hand and sat on it. Noctis tried to push him off but a quick swipe of claws made him change his mind. “C'mon Stuart," Noctis whined.

Stuart looked at him impassively and settled down to go to sleep just as there was a knock at the door. With a final glare at Stuart’s napping form, Noctis moved to answer it. 

At the door was Ignis, who stepped inside without waiting for a greeting and thrust a large container at Noctis who took it with eager hands. Opening it, he moaned in delight as the smell of his favourite soup hit him. “Yessss, my favourite. Thanks, Iggy.”

“I'm still not convinced you feed yourself properly,” Ignis said as he removed his coat, following Noctis into the kitchen.

Noctis groaned and grabbed a plastic spoon out a drawer and started to eat the soup straight out the tub. “I'm a grown man Ignis, I'm fine."

Ignis snatched the soup out of Noctis’s hands and put in the microwave. “Are you sure?” Noctis pouted at the microwave, willing the timer to countdown quicker. When the ding indicating his soup was ready sounded, he rushed to pull it out of the appliance.

“Why are you here anyway?” Noctis grumbled, shovelling down the now hot soup.

Ignis sighed exasperatedly and sat down opposite Noctis. He rested his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands as he stared at Noctis over his glasses. “What's going on between you and Prompto?” 

“Nothing, we're just friends." Noctis muttered, not able to look at Ignis. He knew if he did, Ignis would instantly know he was lying.

“Look, I don't care what you're doing, and I know you’re doing something," Ignis said. “Just please make sure that you don't let it affect either of your work.”

“It won't affect my work, because nothing's happening," Noctis replied stubbornly.

“Noctis, I care for you like a brother, but you're a terrible liar,” Ignis said, standing up and shrugging his coat back on. “I will find out the truth I promise you that. I’ll see you in work, bring my container back in, washed this time please.”

Ignis left with a wave. Noctis was going to follow him and plead his innocence, but decided to leave the issue alone. Ignis would only get suspicious if he got worked up about it, and there was no way he was going to tell anyone about his relationship with Prompto, not yet at least. 

He finished his soup and was washing up the pot to return to Ignis when there was another knock at the door. He sighed. When did he get so popular?

This time, he was greeted by a grinning blonde. “Hey Noct!” Prompto waved excitedly.

“Oh hey Prom," he said, stepping back to let him in.

Prompto was still carrying his gym bag and set it neatly by the front door. He shut the door behind himself and took off his shoes. “I got that picture from Gladio." Noctis said casually.

“You did!? Ugh I probably looked so gross in it,” Prompto groaned.

“I thought you looked adorable." Noctis smiled, cupping Prompto’s jaw and gently kissing him on the lips.

Prompto hummed appreciatively and leaned into Noctis’ body. He pulled away with a grin and kissed Noctis on the tip of his nose. 

“Not that I don't want to see you, but is there a reason you came around?” Noctis asked, holding Prompto around the waist and swaying slightly.

“I texted you,” Prompto replied, looking confused.

“Stuart has been sitting on my phone for the past hour,” Noctis explained with a chuckle.

Prompto giggled and buried his head in the crook of Noctis’ neck. When he pulled away, his expression had changed to one of seriousness. “Okay Noct, I have something to show you," he said as he pulled off the light blue knitted sweater he was wearing.

Noctis’ interest suddenly perked up. If whatever Prompto needed to show him required him to take off his clothes, it must be something good. Placing his sweater to the side, Prompto nervously fiddled with the wristband he always wore and looked at Noctis nervously. “I wanted to share something with you - because you told me about your parents, and if we want to have a healthy relationship there can’t be any secrets between us.”

“You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Noctis said softly.

“No I do want to, I'm just nervous," 

With shaking hands, Prompto slowly undid the clasp of the band and let it drop to the floor. Noctis crept closer as Prompto took a deep breath before slowly turning his hand over to show his wrist. On it, there was a barcode tattooed into his pale skin. His hand was trembling so much that Noctis was unable to read the numbers etched underneath it.

“It's from Niflheim," Prompto explained quietly.

Noctis’ eyes widened. “You're from Niflheim?”

Prompto nodded. “I don’t have any memory of it though. My dad told me he found me at the border when I was two years old. The Niflheim government had begun taking all children under five from families and entering them into the magitek programme. Someone must’ve taken me and escaped to the border, probably my mother. I can’t remember her either.”

Noctis took Prompto’s trembling hands in his own. “Hey, come on Prompto, look at me."

Prompto looked up with scared eyes and Noctis leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

“You're perfect to me, it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”

Prompto’s eyes welled up with tears as he grabbed the front of Noctis’ shirt and pulled him down for a fierce kiss. He pulled back with a relieved smile. “Thank you, Noctis.”

“No, thank you. Thank you for sharing this with me.” Noctis said, brushing Prompto’s hair back and meeting his eyes. “There’s actually something I wanted to ask you.” 

Prompto tilted his head with a hum.

“Can-uh,” Noctis coughed, “Can we make this official?” he asked shyly.

Prompto leaned back, a confused expression taking over his face. “I thought we already were?” Noctis grinned and pulled Prompto in for another kiss.

“Have you noticed anything different?” Prompto asked as he pulled away.

Noctis was overcome with nerves. What if it was something important and Prompto got bad at him for not noticing? He tried not to let his concern show as he quickly inspected Prompto, trying to spot a difference in the blonde. 

Haircut? No. It was still in the same fluffy, chocobo butt looking hairstyle as usual, just a little disheveled after his gym session.

“Uh… your arms have gotten bigger,” Noctis commented, thought it sounded more like a question.

Prompto giggled at the expression on his face, “I’m glad you noticed that but no, I've put some lip balm on!”

Noctis furrowed his brows. He hadn’t noticed that. He leaned forward and kissed him again, this time taking special care to concentrate on the feel and taste of Prompto’s lips. “Strawberry?” he asked breathlessly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penance \- Holding Absence - P  
> [Left alone feat. Chet faker](https://youtu.be/K0BOmY6owIw) \- Flume - L
> 
> Warning : mentions of past self harm

Prompto was surprised that Ignis wanted to work a case with him. It would be the first one that they’d work together without the addition of one of the others, and Prompto was a little nervous. The case required them to travel to Leide, which was currently experiencing arson sprees that the local police believed to be caused by the same criminal.

The drive to Leide was relatively short. Ignis drove calmly and smoothly with classical music playing, a huge difference compared to Noctis’ driving. Prompto felt strangely relaxed until they reached the latest scene of arson. There was a warehouse opposite Hammerhead garage which was had now been reduced to nothing but a blackened shell. They pulled into the garage car park instead of heading straight towards the scene. The fire crew was still investigating the fire, so they weren't authorised to enter yet.

Prompto could still smell the scent of smoke lingering in the air when he stepped out of the car. “We'll see if the people working at the garage saw anything” Ignis said.

Leide wasn’t as hot as Lestallum, but the air was still thick and dry which burned the back of Prompto’s throat as he breathed. His lips suddenly felt dry so fished around in his pocket for his lip balm. He quickly applied a layer, ignoring the suspicious glance from Ignis.

“Noctis’ favourite flavour is strawberry." Ignis said pointedly, staring at Prompto over his glasses.

Prompto just shrugged and ignored him as they head into the garage. It took a few moments for Prompto to recognise the woman working there, after all, the last time he had saw her he was pretty drunk. 

“Hey Prompto, Ignis!” she called over. “Glad y’all are here. This fire business is getting pretty darn pesky."

“Cindy,” Ignis greeted. “Any chance you saw anything suspicious before the fire started?”

“I was asleep when it first started, but Jesse was on shift, I'll grab him for you."

Ignis groaned. “Not Jesse.”

“What's wrong with Jesse?” Prompto asked.

“He's friends with Gladio and he literally won't stop talking once you get him started.”

Jesse was tall and muscular, less so than Gladio. He had curly brown hair that fell into his green eyes. “Hey, Ignis,” he said happily. “How's Gladio?”

“I'm afraid I'm here to work, not to chit chat," Ignis sniffed. “Did you see anything suspicious last night before the fire started?”

“Wow Ignis, all business with you," he chuckled. “I did see someone walking past the garage and into the diner just after the fire started. It was kinda weird because they had walked from outside Hammerhead, and there's nothing around here for miles apart from campsites. I had gone outside for a smoke when I noticed the flames, so I called the fire department. And who are you?” he finished, looking at Prompto.

“Oh I'm Dr. Prompto Argentum," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. 

Jesse shook his hand with a smile. “You look super young for a detective."

Ignis cleared his throat, cutting Jesse off before he could start harassing Prompto. “You said something about campsites?”

“Yeah, there's three within walking distance, but the only people who tend to camp here are the hardcore campers. It's not exactly scenic here, so they wouldn't walk into Hammerhead for food, especially not in the middle of the night.”

“Why wouldn't they walk at night?” Prompto asked.

“There's a pack of flexitusk that come out when it's dark, there's also a coeurl or two around. This is a dangerous area.”

“It's a wonder why people camp here at all,” Ignis said as he grabbed Prompto's shoulder and steered him away, “Sorry Jesse, we best be leaving, we have a lot of work to do.”

Jesse waved as they walked away, calling for Ignis to tell Gladio to call him.

“At least we got a lead," Prompto said, trying to shrug out of Ignis grip on his shoulder but he was holding on too tight. “Hey Ignis, can you let go?”

Ignis quickly let go. “Sorry Prompto. We better go to the diner and see if they have any CCTV we can look at."

The man who owned the diner, Takka, was more than happy to show them the CCTV. As they looked for the person that Jesse mentioned, they drank coffee in silence. Prompto didn't even particularly like coffee, but found himself drinking a lot of it lately.

“This must be them,” Prompto said, pointing at the screen. The person was walking quickly, hood drawn up. They entered the diner and stayed to eat, facing the window. “This must be the arsonist. Half the pleasure for an arsonist is watching the fire.”

“Pleasure?”

“Oh fire is a metaphor for sexual release.” Prompto replied.

“So… this person is aroused by the fire?”

“Not exactly," Prompto tried to explain, “It's like a representation of their sexual release, rather than causing it. This also narrows down the suspect pool. It's probably a man. Statistically, a woman would set a fire for a specific reason, like revenge.”

Ignis nodded. “I'll send the video to Nyx, see if he can enhance it at all."

Takka came into the small office. “Hey boys, the fire marshal is looking for you. Said they found something you need to see."

“Thanks you," Ignis said, “Prompto, could you talk to the marshal while I get these videos to Nyx?”

“Yeah, sure." Prompto said. 

He followed Takka back out into the dining area to meet the fire marshal, who he found standing near the door with a grim expression. 

“I'm Captain Mason Briggs," he introduced, shaking Prompto’s hand. “We found something you need to see."

Prompto followed him out to the burnt building. Mason passed him a helmet and a high visibility jacket. “It's still not secure in there." he explained.

Prompto grimaced as he put on the hat. It was going to squish his hair, which he'd spent ten minutes doing. Ignis probably had hair wax in the car though. 

“It's still a bit smoky as well, so if it gets too much, let me know and we can get you some oxygen.”

Prompto was lead through the blackened rooms until they reached a small hatch that led underground. They climbed down a narrow staircase which was mostly undamaged by the fire. The other side of the door that was at the bottom, was a small room. It was furnished like a bedroom, complete with a battered bed and a few cupboards.

Prompto pulled latex gloves out his pocket and put them on so he could look around. There were a few books on the shelf, mostly cosmogony. He opened the drawers, but they had been emptied.

“Is there any evidence of this room in the blueprints?”

Mason shook his head. “Also, there's this." 

He lead Prompto back upstairs and around the back of the building. Prompto grimaced at the sight of a body bag. He opened it, revealing a thin man. “Smoke inhalation,” Mason explained. “We think he must have been squatting here when the fire was started, and couldn't get out. He might have not even woke up.”

Prompto looked at the man sadly for a moment. “From the previous incidents, this was probably an accident. It might help us find who's responsible.”

Prompto thanked Mason and started to head back to the diner, but Ignis walked out to meet him. “What did the fire marshal have to show you?” He asked. 

“There was a man squatting in a secret storeroom, he died from smoke inhalation. I don’t think this was an intentional murder. Every other fire that was started has had no deaths, not even a casualty.”

“We can use this to lure him out, if it was an accident and we let the media know…” Ignis trailed off. Prompto nodded, knowing what Ignis was suggesting. The guilt caused by an accidental death might bring the suspect to turn themselves in.

“We better head back, and let Luna do an announcement.”

 

_

 

They got back to Insomnia just in time to get Luna to do a press announcement on the six o'clock news. Ignis was hopeful that the person responsible for the fires would turn themselves in by the end of the week.

Prompto headed back home to shower and change before meeting Noctis. He was still covered in soot and dust, which would not be a good look for the date they had planned.

When Prompto finally arrived at Noctis’ apartment, he knocked on the door and only waited a few seconds before Noctis answered, looking annoyed. “Hey Noct.” Prompto said nervously, biting his lip. Was he angry at him for being a little late?

He pulled Prompto inside by his wrist and closed the door behind them. “Sorry Prom,” Noctis sighed. “There was a problem with the booking and we can't go out."

Prompto nodded in understanding and leaned forward to kiss Noctis gently on the lips. “That’s fine, I wasn’t really up for going out anyway to be honest. I’m tired from the long drive, let’s just stay in and order pizza.”

Noctis face lit up with a grin. “Great! Pizza it is.”

They ordered a large pizza for them to share before Noctis shoved Prompto towards his bedroom and passed him a handful of clothes. “Get comfy babe.” he said with a smile.

All though Prompto was broader than Noctis, Noctis was taller so he worried that he wouldn’t be able to fit into his boyfriend's clothing, but was pleasantly surprised when the t-shirt that Noctis had given him was massive on his form, reaching down to almost touch his knees. The shorts he’d been given also fit comfortably. He opted to leave his cute chocobo socks on and neatly folded the rest of his clothes away.

When he walked out, Noctis looked pleased. “I could get used to seeing you in my clothes."

“Shut up Noct." Prompto said playfully, slapping Noctis on the arm. Noctis leaned forward and kissed him. Prompto hummed gently and ran his fingers through Noctis’ black locks.

“I could kiss you forever." Noctis murmured softly.

Prompto was about to respond before they were interrupted by a knock on the door. With a groan, Noctis sluggishly pulled himself up and sulked his way over to answer the door. Noctis handed the delivery man a handful of money, informing him to ‘keep the change’ in a cheerful voice before slamming the door shut and skipping back over to Prompto, his mood now brightened by the presence of greasy food. 

Prompto was gobsmacked at the size of pizza when Noctis opened the box. This was possibly the biggest pizza he had ever seen. “I’m not gonna be able to eat even half of that.” he said. 

“Don't worry, I'll eat whatever you leave." Noctis smirked.

Prompto made a small noise of disbelief but sat next to Noctis at the breakfast bar as Noctis didn't have a table. Noctis picked out a large slice from the box with a flourish, each pizza slice was about the size of Prompto’s entire head. “This is way too much.”

Noctis waved his hand dismissively and took a huge bite out of his first slice. He made it look easy, but Prompto struggled. The cheese was really stringy, and no matter how far he pulled it away, the cheese just kept going. He was distracted from his plight by Noctis’ hysterical laughter.

“It's not funny," Prompto whined, the statement muffled by the cheese he was trying to hold between his teeth.

He finally managed to eat a slice, then another but was so full he couldn't eat a third. Noctis however, had devoured half the pizza alone.

“Prom, you got some sauce on your face." he giggled. Prompto tried to wipe it off, but must have managed to just smear it across his face even more judging from the giggles that emitted from Noctis. “Here, let me.”

He leaned forward and licked Prompto's cheek. “Noct! That's so gross!” Prompto groaned.

That just made Noctis laugh harder. “You're so adorable sometimes Prom," he said softly, the smile still on his face. Prompto stood up and walked quickly over to the sofa, trying his best to look annoyed and not laugh as he threw himself down onto the cushions. “I'm so sorry Prom! What can I do to make it up to you?” Noctis asked, following and kneeling in front of Prompto.

He didn't answer, and instead jumped onto Noctis, knocking him backwards onto the rug. He sat on Noctis’ stomach and smirked. “Now I have you right where I want you.”

“Prom, my stomach is so full of pizza I might explode.” Noctis groaned.

“You're not getting away with it that easily."

Prompto bent forwards and captured Noctis’ lips in a kiss. He run his hands over Noctis’ arms, marvelling at the feeling of his smooth skin. Their tongues met, making Noctis shudder and thread his fingers through Prompto’s hair, deepening the kiss further.

Prompto was hyper aware of Noctis’ hands on his thighs, every inch of skin that he touched burning. He couldn't help but gasp quietly when his fingers grazed the inside of his thigh. His hands moved slowly upwards until they just brushed past the waistband of his shorts and Prompto's mind shut down.

He wasn't aware of getting up but was aware of the fact he had forgotten how to breathe. He was hyperventilating as he stumbled backwards. He could feel Noctis’ fingers still on his stomach. It was all he could feel. He couldn't feel the way that Noctis shook his shoulders. He could see his mouth moving but couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his heart.

“I need to," he gasped out, indicating to the bathroom.

He stumbled inside, locking the door behind him. He slumped down to sit on the floor with his head in his knees and tried to remember how to breathe. He felt something touch his leg and looked up. Umbra was gently nudging his leg with his nose. He temporarily forgot his fear of dogs and pulled Umbra into his arms, concentrating on the feeling of his breathing and the warmth of the fur between his fingers.

Prompto had no idea how long it took for the panic attack to subside, but when it did, he felt so stupid. Noctis was probably freaked out. Umbra seemed to sense Prompto didn't need him anymore, and climbed slowly off his lap. 

He was almost too embarrassed to leave the bathroom, but he figured that he had to at some point. Prompto splashed his face with a handful of cold water, trying to ignore the way his hands were still violently trembling.

“I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay..." he quietly chanted to himself.

When he finally opened the door, Noctis almost tripped over himself on his rush to the door. His face looked red and blotchy, as if he’d been crying. He quickly approached Prompto and opened his arms to pull him into a hug before hesitating and letting his arms fall to his sides. The last thing he wanted was to touch Prompto somewhere that would make him uncomfortable and cause him to panic again. “I'm so sorry Prom, I should have double checked it was okay to touch you. I know you wanted to take it slow but I thought…”

Prompto shook his head. “It's not your fault. It was just the stomach thing. I don't like people touching my stomach at all."

“Ca-can I hug you?” Noctis bit his nervously.

Prompto didn’t answer, instead he opened his arms and pulled Noctis into a hug, burying his face in Noctis’ neck and taking a deep inhale. He was comforted by the scent of Noctis’ cologne. “I’m so sorry Noct, I should have warned you. He murmured.

“Don't be dumb," Noctis huffed, “I knew you wanted boundaries. I just got too caught up in the moment.”

“I uh-" Prompto started, but the words caught in his throat. He turned a bright shade of red before continuing. “I really en-enjoyed you touching me. Just not my stomach. Any-anywhere else is fine.”

“Anywhere?”

“Anywhere” Prompto confirmed.

“You gotta let me know straight away if you get uncomfortable."

Prompto nodded. Noctis looked at him, waiting. “Oh right - words." Prompto laughed nervously. “I'll let you know straight away. Just… please don’t make me take off my shirt.”

Noctis silenced his worries with a passionate kiss. 

 

_

 

Noctis swore to himself that he wouldn’t tell a soul about his relationship with Prompto, but he needed to talk to someone. There was no way he speak to Ignis, he would be too smug about his suspicions being confirmed that he would be borderline annoying. He would never talk to Gladio about anything even remotely emotional. He was an emotional wreck and would probably start crying. Aranea would no doubt make fun of him. Iris could never keep a secret for long before slipping up, so that left Luna. 

The two had been friends for as long as they can remember, even dating briefly before Noctis soon realised his sexual preference did not consist of the other sex. Luna was supportive, and had been with Nyx for a long time, she knew about relationships. 

Noctis knew the best way to get Luna alone was to tell her he needed new clothes. Nyx would never willingly go on a shopping trip.

She was delighted, and took him out the next day. 

 

“Luna, I need to tell you something. You can't freak out and you absolutely cannot tell anyone, not even Nyx." he said nervously as he thumbed through a rack of dark shirts.

“Okay," Luna replied curiously, turning to look at him. She rolled her eyes at his unsure expression. “I swear I will not tell anyone about this. You should know by now I'm good at keeping secrets Noct."

“Prompto's my boyfriend.” he blurted out. 

Luna grinned, “I knew something was going on between you two!" she exclaimed. 

“Apparently everyone does." Noctis mumbled, thinking back to Ignis’ words from the other day.

“You two aren't as subtle as you think." Luna stated smugly.

Noctis grunted and picked a shirt. He shoved it into his shopping basket and turned to talk to Luna. “Last night, we were messing around, then I touched his stomach and he had an actual panic attack. He told me after he just didn't like his stomach being touched and left it at that."

“Okay?" she pressed. 

“Then after that he said he didn't mind being touched anywhere else, but he wasn't going to take off his shirt. I felt kind of weird continuing because he was so freaked out before-"

“Wait, wait, wait… please don't tell me you still had sex with him after he had a panic attack, Noctis!” Luna interrupted loudly.

Several people turned to look at them and Noctis hastily shushed her. “No I didn't! I just gave him a blowjob, but that isn’t the point.” 

“What is the point then Noctis?” Luna huffed.

“He said to me before that in order for us to have a healthy relationship there should be no secrets between us, but then he wouldn’t tell me why touching his stomach bothered him and it just makes me feel weird, like he doesn’t trust me enough to let me know what’s bothering him, but then he’ll let me suck him off. Do you get what I mean?” Noctis rambled.

Luna pondered his words for a moment before replying, “Well, I still think that sucking his dick after the poor boy had just suffered a panic wasn’t a great idea. You should’ve tried to talk to him about the situation instead.”

“I tried but he wouldn't tell me.” Noctis insisted.

“Well, have you shared any of your secrets with him?” Luna questioned.

“I told him about my parents the first time we were alone together.” Noctis replied.

“Astrals Noct, that's a lot for a kid to take in.” Luna gasped..

“I never said I made good choices Luna, but it led to us being together so I don't regret it.”

Luna sighed. “You just need to sit him down and talk to him Noct. That's what I do with Nyx when something is bothering me. We talk about everything. Especially if it's something that's making one of us uncomfortable.”

“Okay, I'll talk to him after we're done here." Noctis agreed, looking through the small display of soft toys, absently thinking of getting Prompto a gift. He spotted a chocobo plush that was enormously fat. He picked it up and showed Luna, “Do you think Prompto would like this?”

“You're the one dating him Noct.” Luna replied. She looked up at the plush and started to giggle.

“What?”

“I just realised Prompto’s hair looks like a chocobo's butt."

 

_

 

Prompto was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror. He used to do it a lot when he was a teenager. He used to look at the cuts on his stomach, the sting and blood from the fresh ones helping him remember he was alive. That he could feel. Now all that was left behind were ugly scars. Most of them had faded since his teenage years, but you could still feel the bumps of the scarred flesh if you touched them. A few were still quite dark and visible still, the deepest ones. His fingers brushed lightly over the worst of them all. It was long and jagged, the most noticeable out of all the others. The last cut he had inflicted on himself before getting professional help. This is what he didn’t want Noctis to see. This is what he didn’t want him to feel.  
There was also the silvery stretch marks, on the side of his stomach and on his hips. He hated those too. A testament from when he was an overweight child.

He sighed when he run his fingers over the scars, feeling every bump and raised line when he was hit by the sudden thought, The only reason that Prompto wasn’t fully happy was because he wasn’t allowing himself to be. Noctis was trying to make him happy, he just wasn’t letting him all the way in. Surely he deserved it, they both did. They had both suffered enough pain and sadness.

“I deserve to be happy.” he whispered to himself. Relief washed over him at the simple words. He did deserve it. His heart was still pounding his chest when the sound of a knock at the door echoed through the house. Prompto didn't react, his Dad was downstairs and could answer it, or so he thought. 

“Prom, can you get that?” his dad called.

Prompto sighed and pulled his t-shirt back on. He was going to have to tell, and show, Noctis eventually. He had already decided that he didn't want to keep secrets from him, but this was a lot.

He jumped down the stairs two steps at a time and opened the front door, eyes widening at who he saw. It was Noctis.

“Hey Prom, I wanted to talk." he said quietly.

Prompto was overcome with dread, what if Noctis decided he didn’t want to deal with someone who had panic attacks over being touched?

“Oh yeah, come in," Prompto said, trying to sound unaffected by his sudden appearance. “We'll have to head up to my room, my Dad’s home.”

Nervously, Prompto lead Noctis to his bedroom. It wasn’t often that people visited his room, apart from his Dad and himself. He was suddenly self conscious of how childish it looked.

When Prompto closed the door behind them, Noctis handed him a bag. “I got you a present.”

Prompto opened it curiously, whatever it was it was yellow and crammed into the bag. He pulled it out with a little difficulty, and squealed with excitement. It was the fattest chocobo plush he had ever seen. He jumped at Noctis, who caught him with a small laugh. “So you like it?”

“I love it Noct!" Prompto said with a huge grin. He gave Noctis a quick kiss and untangled himself from Noctis’ arms so he could put the chocobo at the end of his bed. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

“Oh um..." Noctis said, suddenly looking shy. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to talk about yesterday.”

“Okay," Prompto said quickly, he sat on his bed and grabbed onto the fat chocobo. 

Noctis sat next to him. “I don't want to make you uncomfortable Prom, but I’m really bothered by the way you reacted when I touched you.”

Prompto was silent for a moment. “I do want to talk to you about it Noct, I just don't think I'm ready yet."

“I just want you to be happy, and I'm scared that you don’t completely trust me with your secrets, and you think that you have to push yourself to do things with me.” Noctis mumbled.

“Noct, I do trust you! And I haven't done one thing that I haven't wanted to do."

“I hope you trust me, I like you Prompto I really do and I hope you can bring yourself to share whatever it is you’re hiding with me soon. Just promise me you won't ever force yourself to do something that you don’t really want to do with me.” Noctis pleaded, placing a comforting hand on top of Prompto’s and looking into his blue eyes.

“I promise," Prompto said sincerely, kissing Noctis gently. “Now that's over with, you should meet my Dad." he said with a grin. 

Noctis groaned. “Your Dad? What if he hates me?”

“He won't, because I like you and you’re nice to me." 

Noctis mumbled but stood up. “Okay, okay."

Prompto couldn't help but grin and dragged Noctis downstairs by his hand. “Hey Dad, I've got someone for you to meet!” he called out.

“Finally!” he replied. Noctis thought the voice sounded familiar, but couldn't work out where he had heard it from before.

They entered the front room hand in hand and Noctis saw Prompto’s dad for the first time. He froze, his grip on Prompto’s hand loosening. It took him half a second to recognise him, the glasses perched on the end of his nose and the knitting yarn surrounding him threw him off for a moment, but there was no way Noctis could forget that face. “Cor Leonis.” he murmured.

Cor dropped the yarn he was holding. 

“Do you two know each other?” Prompto asked, looking confused.

“He was the detective who found me after my father was murdered.” Noctis replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you like it - we crave validation - P


	10. Chapter 10

_Cor was surprised to get a call from Regis. The two hadn’t spoken since Cor quit his role as Regis’ bodyguard to become a detective. “Yeah?” he answered._

_“Cor, I know that you don’t work for me anymore but I need your help. Could you please come over as soon as possible?” Regis asked, he sounded desperate._

_“Yeah sure.” Cor replied. It wasn’t often that Regis asked for help, in fact, Cor couldn’t even remember the last time the man had. He had no idea what Regis could want._

_On arrival at Regis’ house, he was quickly ushered inside and led up to the office. There, at the desk, was a young boy with long black hair and bright blue eyes sat in a wheelchair. “This is my son, Noctis.” Regis’ quickly introduced the boy._

_Cor hadn’t noticed Clarus until the man moved forward to wheel Noctis out of the room. “C’mon Noct, we’ll let them talk in private.” he said gently. The boy didn’t reply, turning his head to curiously watch the two men until the door closed behind him._

_As soon as the click of the door closing fully echoed throughout the room, Regis sank into his chair with a defeated sigh, running his hands over his tired face. “There’s something that I must tell you, Cor. But you must promise me that you will not tell a single soul.”_

_“Okay.” Cor replied slowly, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach._

_“There’s someone after me, I believe he wants to kill me.”_

_“What? You need to tell the police!” Cor hissed._

_“I afraid I can't. It's going to happen. It’s unavoidable and I’ve made the necessary preparations.”_

_“Why are you telling me then?” Cor began pacing back and forth, frustrated._

_“I need you to make sure that Noctis will be okay.”_

_“Obviously he won’t be okay, his father will be dead!” Cor snapped harshly._

_Regis pleaded, “Please Cor, I need you to be the one to find him. Clarus is taking his son out for his birthday tonight. Noct was supposed to go with them, but his back injury has been bothering him lately. He’s going to need someone and I trust you. Please, take care of my son.”_

_Cor couldn’t refuse._

_That night, when Cor rushed back to Regis’ house, he wasn’t expecting to find his friends body pinned to the closet door by a greatsword. He called dispatch as he checked the whole house in search for Noctis. After unsuccessfully scouring every possible hiding spot, he stopped in Regis’ bedroom, gripping his hair in panic. He promised to take care of his friends son, he’d never forgive himself if he had failed the mans dying wish. Glancing up at Regis’ body in despair, he realised there was one place he hadn’t checked._

_Cor hesitantly approached his body. “I'm sorry.” he choked out as he pulled the sword from Regis. He caught his body as it fell and eased him to the floor as he heard the sirens approaching outside._

_Slowly, he opened the door and found Noctis sitting on the floor. He was covered in his father's blood and trembling._

_The young boy looked up at him with panic and fear in his blue eyes that watered with unshed tears. He crouched down to the boys height._

_“Hello, my name is Cor Leonis, are you Noctis by any chance?”_

 

“Wait… what?” Prompto spluttered.

“That’s why I was in Niflheim against direct orders. I was following a lead,” Cor answered. “I was going to hack into the computer system at the base but I found you and your mother before I could investigate any further. I made a promise to take you to safety.”

Prompto wanted to continue asking questions, it wasn’t often Cor spoke of his mother. Before he could, his phone rang. Pulling it out he saw that it was Ignis. Noctis didn’t even register the shrill ringing of Prompto’s phone, he couldn’t take his eyes off Cor. The last time he had seen him was when he was a young boy, that night was etched into Noctis’ memory. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Prompto shook his shoulder, “Noctis, I need to go. Someone has come in and confessed to the fires.”

“I'll go with you.” Noctis said quickly.

“Please, stay,” Cor said, struggling as he stood. “I want to explain.”

Prompto looked between them both. “Can I talk to you quickly before I go Noct?” Prompto asked, not giving him a chance to reply as he grabbed his hand and dragged him to the front door. “You don’t have to stay, not if you don’t want to.” 

“I want to.” Noctis assured him quietly.

“If you’re sure,” Prompto said. “I'll talk to you later.” Prompto pressed his lips to Noctis’ in a quick peck before turning and rushing out the door.

Noctis took a moment to gather his thoughts before returning to the front room where Cor was still stood. They stared at each other for a few moments before Cor cleared his throat, sitting back down and indicating for Noctis to take a seat. Noctis wiped his hands that were nervously sweating on his thighs.

“I'm sorry I couldn't solve the case,” Cor said quietly. “I got injured in Niflheim when I found Prompto… I had to retire.”

“You couldn't have done any more than you did,” Noctis managed to say. “I looked at the case myself when I joined the LBI. There were no leads, no evidence.”

“I just wanted to explain to you,” Cor said. “And I’m so sorry I abandoned you after that, I’ve beaten myself up about it all these years.”

“Don’t,” Noctis interrupted. “Clarus took care of me and you took care of Prompto. I wouldn’t have a changed a thing. If you were busy looking after me you would have never of found Prompto. Dad would be proud of you,”

Cor closed his eyes to halt the tears that had welled up in his eyes and leaned back. “I want to tell you something, but you can't tell Prom.”

“I don't want to keep secrets from him.” Noctis replied warily.

“I wouldn't ask you to, but I think he's in danger,” Cor explained. 

Noctis eyes widened. “If he’s in danger you have to let him know!” 

“If I told him he would constantly be looking over his shoulder,” Cor shook his head. “He’d shut himself off again, I can’t let him do that. He’s happy right now.” Cor opened his eyes and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and perching his head on his folded hands. “I think this serial killer that he’s investigating is the same person who killed your father.” 

“Why do you think that? There's no correlation.” Noctis furrowed his brows in confusion.

“I have a gut feeling, and my gut feelings are normally right,” Cor replied. Noctis noticed the fire in his eyes and couldn’t help but be convinced by his words. “I need you to protect Prompto for me. Please, take care of my son.” he pleaded. 

“I would do anything for him.” Noctis said quietly. 

“He's special to you too, huh?” Cor asked, smiling fondly.

Noctis hesitated a moment before answering. “Yes.”

Cor visibly relaxed. “I'm glad, he deserves to have you caring for him.”

 

_

 

When Prompto returned home later that evening, his Dad and Noctis were in the kitchen. He could hear his Dad laughing, so that was a good sign. “And then Iris showed me the video. He was singing and slapping Nyx's butt!” he heard Noctis say.

Mortified, Prompto ran into the kitchen. His Dad was leaning on the counter, breathless with laughter as Noctis was grinning. “Hey Prom, I was just telling your Dad-”

“Why would you tell him that story?” Prompto whined, “It was the most embarrassing moment of my life!”

His Dad managed to stop laughing long enough to say “I thought the most embarrassing moment of your life was when you met that guy from that band. Who was that again?”

“Dad, why do you only remember stuff that embarrasses me?” Prompto groaned.

“Oooh, what's this story Prom?” Noctis asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Not telling you.” Prompto sniffed. Cor opened his mouth, probably to tell the horrifying story but stopped at the death glare Prompto gave him.

“What happened to no secrets?” Noctis asked, Prompto could tell he was pretending to look hurt.

“Maybe I'll tell you one day, if you're lucky.” Prompto replied casually.

Noctis grunted in response and Cor grabbed their food out the oven. “Noctis is staying for the night by the way Prompto.”

“I can't believe you invited my boyfriend for a sleepover without telling me.” Prompto grumbled.

Cor grinned and clapped Prompto on the shoulder. “C'mon, let's eat and you can sulk later.”

“I'm a grown man, I do not sulk.” Prompto grumbled, helping his Dad carry over plates of food.

After a dinner of basilisk breast with fries for Cor and Noctis, and rice for Prompto, they said their goodnights and headed up to bed. 

Noctis turned towards the guest room but was quickly called back by Prompto. “You can stay in my bed. With me. If you want.” Prompto said, blushing.

Noctis smiled. “Okay.”

Prompto had to find his biggest clothes for Noctis. He had given Noctis the t-shirt he usually slept in, and grabbed an old pyjama shirt for himself. It was big on him, nearly to his knees. Even though Noctis looked a bit ridiculous in Prompto's bright pink t-shirt with a yellow chocobo on, Prompto loved seeing him in his clothes. It made him feel strangely possessive.

Prompto climbed in the bed first, and scooted over to by the wall. Noctis climbed in next to him with a smile. Prompto grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down eagerly for a kiss.

_

 

Prompto loved to cuddle, and didn't let go of Noctis the whole night. They hadn't had sex, but had gotten pretty damn close. The only thing stopping them was Prompto's aversion to taking off his top. Noctis had been delighted to pull the collar of Prompto's pyjama shirt collar aside and leave a trail of bruises along each collar bone, however. 

Noctis somehow woke up before Prompto in the morning. He was sleeping peacefully, one hand nearly in his mouth. His hair was ruffled from sleep and his face was relaxed. Noctis watched him sleep for a bit before deciding it was probably a bit creepy and got up.

He went to the toilet and brushed his teeth and by the time he got back, Prompto was awake. He rubbed his eyes and sleepily smiled at Noctis. “Morning Prom.”

“Morning Noct,” he replied. He looked up and his mouth fell open. “Astrals what did I do to your neck?”

“What do you mean?” Noctis asked.

“Have you not looked in a mirror this morning?”

Noctis scrambled back into the bathroom. Then he saw what Prompto meant. They had both marked each other, but the marks that Prompto was given were nothing compared to the bruises littered across his neck. In an effort to keep quiet, he had bitten down, hard, and Noctis had a bruise the same size of his hand on the side of his neck with clear teeth marks in it. 

No wonder Prompto was mortified when he saw what he had done, and was even more mortified later on when Ignis sent out a group text informing everyone that they were going to have a team building afternoon and attendance was mandatory.

There was no way Noctis could cover the mark Prompto had left, unless he wore a scarf, and that was what Prompto insisted he did. “Please just say you're cold Noct.” he begged.

Noctis agreed, reluctantly. He knew that Ignis was always cold and the heater in his house would be on high. He was going to be sweating a lot.

As soon as they arrived, Aranea eyed them suspiciously. “Why are you wearing a scarf?”

“Cold.” Noctis replied, trying to get past her quickly before she could question him any further.

“You’ve never been cold enough to wear a scarf before.” Iris observed.

Noctis shrugged, “Maybe I'm getting sick.”

“Yeah, love sick.” Aranea muttered to Iris, making them both dissolve into a fit of giggles.

Noctis would have told them to shut up, but that would have just made them tease him about getting defensive so he chose to just ignore them and walk away. He gave Prompto a quick glance, fighting back a smile as he noticed that Prompto’s cheeks were painted a light shade of pink. 

When they entered the main room, Ignis handed them all a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. “We’re going to play Monopoly, it was Gladio’s idea.” he said, rolling his eyes slightly.

Noctis groaned internally, he hated Monopoly. 

An hour into the game, Prompto was destroying all of them. He owned hotels on three quarters of the board and Noctis just landed on one of his many squares. Prompto checked the card quickly, “Two thousand please, babe.”

Noctis hand froze over his pile of money. Prompto gasped and covered his mouth with both hands. Clearly, he didn't mean that to slip out. Aranea’s head shot around with such speed she had surely given herself whiplash and she shot them both a triumphant smirk. Noctis panicked, and accidently used a fire spell, catching the board on alight. Ignis cursed and jumped up to grab something to put out the fire. Gladio was faster, and threw a damp towel over the flames.

“Noct!” Ignis screamed.

Aranea used the ensuing chaos to take the opportunity to grab the end of the scarf Noctis was wearing and yank it from his neck. It got caught, and Noctis fell to the floor. Prompto jumped up to help Noctis off the floor as Iris helped Aranea in her fight to snatch away the scarf.

“Everyone, calm down!” Gladio yelled. His voice was deep and booming. Everyone froze.

Aranea took the opening and yanked hard on the scarf one last time. It slid off Noctis’ neck and fell to a pile on a floor. Everyone gasped.

“What happened to your neck?” Ignis asked.

Prompto went scarlet and buried his face in his hands with an embarrassed whimper.

“Ooooooh this is good,” Aranea laughed, “Seems like our boys here are keeping secrets and chewing chunks off of each other.” 

Prompto turned around and ran out of the room. They stared after him in an awkward silence for a few moments. “I'll go check on him.” Gladio said, running behind.

“I didn't want to upset him.” Aranea said guiltily.

“Well you did. Good job, Aranea.” Noctis snapped.

“He’ll be fine, he’s just embarrassed,” Ignis pulled him off the floor. “We all knew, you weren't exactly subtle.”

“I thought we were.” Noctis grumbled.

“You really were not.” Iris chimed in.

Aranea approached Nocts to get a closer look. “He really did a number there didn't he,” she said as she observed his neck. “Didn't think he had it in him.”

“Don't tease him about it, please.” Noctis begged, pushing down his anger with the woman. “Tease me all you want, but Prompto can't handle it.”

“I don't want to upset Blondie.” Aranea said, “I like him. Don't worry.”

“So you don't like me?” Noctis asked.

“Not really.” Aranea replied with a shrug.

_

 

Prompto felt silly for running away from the situation, but he felt overwhelmed by all the attention. He heard heavy footsteps approaching behind him and slowed, assuming it was Noctis. A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, a hand that was a lot larger than Noctis’. He turned and was met by Gladio’s comforting smile. “It’s alright Prompto.”

“I feel so embarrassed.” Prompto sniffed, eyes watering.

“Don't, if I had a gil for every time I got carried away and left a noticeable mark on Iggy, neither of us would need to work anymore I tell you that.” Gladio chuckled.

“I didn't mean to do it though,” Prompto said miserably.

“Come with me for a sec.” Gladio said, leading him into a bathroom. When he closed the door, he grabbed Prompto into a tight hug. Gladio's huge arms pulled him tight into his body. Prompto breathed deeply a few times and managed to calm down. Prompto grabbed onto Gladio tightly and buried himself deeper into the mans warm chest, nearly missing the slight hiss of pain. He tried to pull away but Gladio held on tighter. 

“Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?” Prompto asked, concerned.

“No, don't tell anyone but I got my nipples pierced earlier, thought it'd be a fun surprise for Iggy,” Gladio answered, “still a little tender.”

Prompto stifled a watery chuckle into Gladio's broad chest.

“Wash your face and have a moment to yourself, I'll wait outside.” he said as he let go.

Prompto tried to wash the redness from his face with cold water, but it didn't really work. With a defeated sigh, he left the bathroom. Aranea was with Gladio, and she looked uncomfortable, which was a strange expression to see on her face.

“I'm sorry shortcake, I didn't want to upset you. I was just trying to wind up Noctis.”

“It's okay Aranea.” Prompto said with a forgiving smile.

She looped an arm over his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. “Noctis is a prick but I like you. You're too cute for him.”

Prompto blushed again. “I like him.”

Aranea smiled at him find it as they walked back to the front room. “I know you do hun,” she laughed, shaking her head lightly, “I know you do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for a related one shot to go up a little later! - P


	11. Chapter 11

_It was the same nightmare again, Noctis was a child crouched in his father's closet, desperately trying to ignore the sticky blood all over his head. However, this time the dream continued after Noctis was pulled out by Cor._

_“I thought I told you to protect him.” Cor asked, his appearance suddenly looking older._

_“Protect who?” A young Noctis asked, looking up at him._

_Cor grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him towards where in all rights his father's body should have been, but it wasn't. Prompto stared blankly at him, his blue eyes that normally sparkled with wonder were now dead and empty. Noctis took in every detail; the dried spray of blood across his freckled cheeks to the huge sword sticking out of his chest._

_“I didnt- I didn't mean to.” Noctis croaked, crouching down next to him._

_“It's your fault.” Cor whispered._

Noctis awoke with a strangled cry, his bed sheets wet with sweat. The darkness reminded him of the closet, he could feel the blood in his hair but this time it wasn't his father's, it was Prompto's. He fumbled until he found the lamp switch and flicked it on.

His mind just kept replaying Cor saying Prompto was in danger and he couldn't shake it off. He snatched his phone off the dresser with shaking hands. He wanted to call Prompto, make sure he was okay, but stopped when he saw the time. It was only two in the morning, Prompto was asleep and Noctis didn't want to wake him, anxiety was gnawing at his gut.

“He's okay.” Noctis whispered to himself. It didn't help.

He couldn't stand being in bed anymore with his sweat soaked sheets, so he jumped out and stripped off his clothes, pulling off the sheets and bundling them together with his pyjamas. 

Noctis stumbled into the bathroom, ignoring the disapproving glare of Stuart and the quiet whining of a concerned Umbra. He put the shower on as hot as it could go and jumped in, slamming the door behind him. He leaned against the door as the hot spray washed the sweat of the nightmare away.

He couldn’t get back to sleep afterwards, he felt too jittery. Instead, he flopped down on the sofa and watched the TV, one eye on the clock as he waited for Prompto to wake up. As soon as it hit six o’clock, he grabbed his phone and sent Prompto a text.

Prompto replied quickly, Noctis was so relieved he was alive he didn't even register what the text said right away. _Sorry Noct I won't be in work today. I'll talk to you later x_

Noctis's heart hammered in his throat. He wouldn't be able to shake the nightmare off if he didn't see Prompto to confirm for himself that he was okay.

He was jumpy the whole way to work, and when he arrived it took him a few minutes to realise that the interior had a new feature. Ignis had put up a poster by Aranea’s desk. It was a sunset and there were white words on it that read _‘Before you speak let your words pass through three gates; Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?’_

Aranea laughed at it as soon as she saw it. “What is this about?”

“I'm tired of you constantly insulting Noctis, and I've received twenty out of department complains about your attitude.” Ignis said. “I want you to think about this before you say anything at all.”

“Well when I call Noctis a stupid prick I'm answering the first two questions.” She smirked.

Noctis opened his mouth to argue but Ignis interrupted. “Aranea, I mean it.” He warned.

“What you gonna do if I don't?” Aranea asked. She stood up and slammed her hands in the desk in a threatening way.

“I’ll send you to every single community reach programme for the next five years.” Ignis answered.

She narrowed her eyes and sat down in defeat. “Can I still insult him outside of work?”

“No.” 

“I don’t care.” Ignis said over Noctis’ denial. The latter turning to give the spectacled man a look of pure betrayal. 

Aranea gave a long sigh. “I suppose I might be able to manage.”

“I'm hoping if we put you on more cases with Prompto his nice behaviour will rub off on you.” Ignis added.

“Or Aranea will rub off on Prompto.” Iris said with a grin.

“I don't think Blondie has a mean bone in his body,” Aranea laughed. “Unless Noctis has anything to do with it.”

Noctis picked up the elastic band ball from his desk and threw it at Aranea. He missed, badly, and it bounced off the wall behind her and hit Ignis in the back of the head. His glasses fell off and clattered to the floor. 

Noctis flinched, “Sorry.”

Ignis sighed dramatically and picked his glasses up from the floor, cleaning them whilst glaring at Noctis. “Can we just all behave like adults?”

They all muttered variations of acceptance as they settled down at their respective desks. 

“Okay everyone, we've got a lot to do today..” Ignis started, Noctis didn't hear him talking. He was too preoccupied by his worried thoughts.

He tried to text Prompto a few times during the morning, sneakily under his desk so Ignis wouldn't see, but didn't get a reply. It was strange, Prompto normally replied quickly, and with an overabundance of emojis. 

By the time lunch came around, Noct had enough. He was still feeling shaky and he needed to at least hear Prompto's voice, so he went up to the roof. Prompto answered the phone after seven rings, “Hey Noct, you okay?”

Noctis sighed with relief. “Yeah, I'm fine now. I just needed to hear your voice.”

“I miss you.” Prompto said quietly.

“I miss you too,” Noctis replied, feeling stupid. He had seen Prompto yesterday but every moment he wasn't with his blonde ball of sunshine he felt like he was wasting. “Are you okay?”

“I'm okay,” Prompto assured. “It's just… my dad.”

“Is he okay?” 

“It's nothing permanent, don't worry.” Prompto said. Noctis could tell he was trying to sound cheerful to not worry him too much. 

“Ya know if you need to talk or need any help you can call me anytime.” Noctis said.

Prompto was silent for a moment. “Do you think you can meet me in the park after work? The one with the Shiva statue?”

“Yeah, of course Prom.” Noctis replied.

They said their goodbyes and Noctis felt slightly less stressed when he hung up. Slightly less. He had to see Prompto before he could calm down completely.

When Noctis got back into work, Ignis indicated for him to go into his office. Noctis sighed as he made his way inside, Ignis following behind.

Ignis closed the door. “Are you okay today Noct? You don't look well.”

“I didn't sleep well last night.” He answered vaguely.

Ignis nodded, understanding Noctis' nightmares were a frequent problem. “I was worried you were so out of it because Prompto wasn't in.”

He was sure Ignis could hear his heart pounding. “It wouldn't have affected me so much if I saw him.”

Ignis sighed and sat down at his desk. “You can talk to me Noct. Not as a boss, but as a friend. I've known you since you were a child, I think of you as my brother.”

“Thank you Ignis,” Noctis acknowledged, “but I think I just need a good night's sleep.”

Ignis nodded. “Okay. Go back to work then, the more you work the faster time will seem to pass.”

Noctis smiled a little. “You’re right, see you later Specs.”

When Noctis got back to his desk, Nyx was there, typing at Noctis's computer. He barely glanced up when Noctis approached. “I'll be done in a minute.”

“What are you doing?” Noctis asked.

“Updates,” Nyx grunted in reply. “Apparently Ignis doesn't trust people to press the update computer button so I have to do everyone’s myself.”

He finished and stood up to let Noctis back in his seat. “Wait a minute… what happened to your neck?”

Noctis remembered Nyx and Luna weren't at Ignis' house when him and Prompto were caught out. “Oh, uh... no one told you?” Noctis nervously scratched the back of his neck, flinching as his fingers brushed over the still sensitive bruise.

“No, where they supposed to?” Nyx asked, still staring at the bruise on Noctis' neck.

“Just thought they would.” Noctis answered with a shrug.

“Well, you gonna tell me?” Nyx pressed.

Noctis shook his head, a smirk forming in his face.

“You're an ass,” Nyx huffed. He turned to Aranea. “Hey Aranea, what happened to Noctis's neck?”

“It was Blondie” she replied, not looking up from her paperwork. “We're not teasing him about it though, only the emo bitch.”

“Aranea.” Ignis called out in warning from his office. Aranea sighed, annoyed.

“Wow… didn't think Prompto was like that.” Nyx said.

Noctis shrugged, “I drive him crazy.” He replied smugly.

“You drive all of us crazy, but you don't see anyone else chewing on your neck.” Luna retorted as she walked past with a huge stack of paperwork.

“Maybe he was trying to do us all a favour and kill him off.” Aranea mused.

“Fuck off.” Noctis flipped her off.

_

 

When Noctis arrived at the park to meet Prompto, he wandered around for a bit before spotting the blonde. Prompto was sat on the edge of the fountain, the very one that they had their first proper kiss at. Cor was sat next to him, but instead of being perched next to Prompto, he was sat in a wheelchair. Noctis stumbled in confusion, which soon turned to shock when he noticed that Cor only had one leg. What had Prompto meant when he said his Dad’s problem wasn’t permanent? The man was missing a leg!

When Prompto noticed him he turned to utter a few words to his Dad before dashing over. “Hey, Noct!” 

Noctis had meant to ask Prompto how he was, but instead he blurted out a question. “Where’s your dad’s leg?”

Prompto looked confused for a moment, then laughed. “Oh, that happened a while ago! He lost his leg when he was rescuing me in Niflheim.” He explained. 

“He lost his leg? He just said he got injured!” Noctis said incredulously.

“That's my Dad, he downplays everything.” Prompto giggled.

“Wait, so if he lost his leg back them, I'm still confused as to why you weren't in work today.”

“Oh, I should explain,” Prompto nodded. “He has bad days sometimes and it really hurts him to wear his prosthetic. He can't really get around with one leg so I stayed home to help him out.”

“Astrals Prom, you're so sweet.” Noctis smiled, he grabbed Prompto into a tight hug. Prompto laughed, then leaned back a little to press a kiss to Noctis’ lips.

“You know I could have helped out, if you asked.” Noctis told him.

“What do you mean?” Prompto asked, looking a little confused.

“I can charge a liquid with magic and it kind of turns it into a mild healing potion,” Noctis explained, “I use it to help with my back pain.”

Prompto hummed in understanding, “I'll keep that in mind for next time, thanks!”

Noctis glanced behind Prompto to see Cor who was watching them both with a fond expression. He raised his hand to wave to the man who nodded back in response.

“Hey,” Noctis said. “It’s getting cold, do you guys want a lift home?”

“Yeah sure, that would be great.”

_

 

After Noct had dropped the two off, Prompto helped Cor to bed.

“Are you feeling better Dad?” Prompto asked as he covered him with the quilt.

Cor sighed sadly, “I’m sorry Prom.”

Prompto froze, his brow furrowed in confusion as he looked up to meet Cor’s gaze. “Why?” 

“You keep having to put your life on hold for me. You've got your job, you've got Noctis and you have to stay here and look after an old man.” 

Prompto was startled to see his Dad looked close to tears.”Hey, don't be like that.” Prompto said gently. “You're my Dad, so what if I have to stay home and help you out. I consider it a tiny bit of repayment for the fact I wouldn't be here without you. Plus, I enjoy spending time with you.” 

Cor pulled him down and hugged him tightly. Before pulling away, he ruffled Prompto's hair. “I don't know what I did for the Astrals to grant me with you, but it must have been good.”

“You're a good person,” Prompto said, “I'm the lucky one.”

Cor smiled, pulling Prompto in for another hug. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we said the one shot was gonna be up last week but we're both really forgetful and busy (･ω･)v - P  
> It'll be up as soon as we get some time to post, if we remember when we do have time is a whole other story though - L


	12. Chapter 12

“Pleeeeeease Noct.” Prompto begged, hanging off Noctis' arm with puppy dog eyes.

Noctis sighed, “Who even told you this anyway?”

“Gladio did,” Prompto replied, “He said you were so good, I just want to see.”

“Why do you want to see me spar with Gladio so badly?” Noctis asked.

Prompto shrugged, then started to blush. “I think you'd look really good.”

Noctis couldn't say no anymore, not to that expression. “Fine, I'll do it,” He said, trying to sound like he really didn't want to do it but honestly, he would do anything to make Prompto smile. “But we have our dinner reservation after.”

Prompto grinned and kissed him three times quickly. “Thank you,” he smiled before quickly adding “Oh, and Aranea will be there.” 

Noctis threw his head back as he groaned. “Why are you friends with her?” 

“She's really nice to me,” Prompto shrugged, “and she wants to see if you're as good as Gladio says you are.”

“Gladio is known to exaggerate.” Noctis said as they entered the gym.

Noctis changed into shorts and a t-shirt and Prompto changed into his usual gym attire before they headed to the sparring area together. Aranea and Gladio were already there, Gladio was shirtless as usual and Aranea was roaring with laughter.

“What's so funny?” Noctis asked.

Gladio turned around, and Prompto saw the hint of silver at Gladio's nipples. Noctis smirked but didn't say anything. 

“How is this so funny?” Gladio huffed.

“You're forty Gladio, and you've just got your nipples pierced.” Noctis said, still smirking and barely suppressing a laugh.

“It's none of your business if I want to get my nipples pierced or not, let’s just get on with this shall we.” Gladio said firmly, hoisting up the same greatsword as before.

Noctis stood ready. “Not getting a weapon?” Aranea quirked a brow as she moved to stand next to Prompto at the edge of the room.

“I have my own.” Noctis replied.

He held out his right hand and a crackle of blue light appeared, followed by a sword. It looked similar to the one he used before, but the edge was blunt.

They were both still, until Gladio lunged forward. Noctis moved with a speed that Prompto definitely wasn't expecting. He blocked and dodged every move that Gladio made, striking him so many times with the blunt weapons that Gladio’s body was a mess of red welts and bruises. Every flash of blue light was a change in weapon and he flowed through each move effortlessly. He didn't avoid attacks by stepping aside, he backflipped and done complicated spins as well. Gladio hit him once, but Noctis just used the momentum to jump onto Gladio's sword and point a dagger at his throat. Both their chests were heaving.

Prompto and Aranea clapped. “That was incredible!” Prompto squeaked. 

“I never thought I'd say this about you Twatnis, but that was impressive.” Aranea said.

“Would it kill you to call me by my name?” Noctis asked breathlessly.

“If I have to be polite to you in work you've got another thing coming if you think I'm gonna be nice outside of work.” Aranea scoffed.

Gladio clapped Noctis on the shoulder, “You did a good job.”

“Thanks,” Noctis sighed, “but me and Prom have got to get going, we have a reservation.”

“Okay, okay,” Gladio laughed, “Have a good time kids.”

Noctis quickly showered and got dressed again, meeting Prompto in the lobby before heading out to the restaurant.

It was a warm night, so Noctis asked if they could have their table changed for one outside. They finished their starters and were waiting for their main course when Noctis reached across the table to grab Prompto's hand. Prompto smiled and squeezed his fingers.

“You know you looked really incredible when you were sparring with Gladio.” Prompto said shyly.

“Thanks.” Noctis replied, kissing Prompto lightly on the fingertips.

Prompto grabbed Noctis's hand between both of his and studied his fingers carefully. “I didn't expect you to look that good,” Prompto admitted, “how did you learn to do that?”

“My Dad taught me sometimes, and Gladio did too,” Noctis said, watching Prompto play with his fingers. “Did you really think I looked good?”

“So good,” Prompto said, hiding his smile behind their entwined hands. “I didn't know you were so flexible.”

“I can demonstrate that a lot more for you later, if you'd like.” Noctis teased.

Prompto blushed. “Not in public Noct.” 

Still grinning, Noctis grabbed Prompto by the back of the neck and pulled him across the table to meet in the middle for a kiss. Prompto sighed contentedly and leaned into Noctis.

He let go and Prompto fell back into his seat. “That was nice.”

“Maybe after, we can go back to my apartment and-” Noctis started before he was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of an explosion. It was so powerful that the ground shook underneath them.

They both leapt to their feet and looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. “There!” Prompto shouted, pointing to a column of smoke and the unmistakable orange glow of a fire.

Noctis threw Prompto his car keys, “Go and get the car, I'll pay for the food.”

Prompto ran to the car which they had parked down the road. Hands shaking, he turned the key in the ignition and pulled out Noctis' siren. He turned it on and put his foot down, the car screeched to a stop outside the restaurant and Noctis jumped in.

They went as fast as possible to the site of the explosion. The building was still on fire, and the northwest corner was missing completely. The street was lined with rubble. “Fuck.” Noctis whispered. 

There was a few people milling around, looking at the building in shock. Noctis and Prompto grabbed their badges from their bags and climbed out the car. “Is anyone hurt?” Prompto asked as he and Noctis showed their badges to the lingering witnesses.

The few people that were there shook their heads. “Did anyone see what happened?” Noctis asked.

“Two guys came out after the explosion,” a woman stepped forward, “One of them was being carried, he looked burnt badly. He told us he was taking him to the hospital and left.”

Noctis quickly wrote down the information, “Do you remember what they looked like?”

The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, it all happened so fast.”

The next thing Prompto knew, he was on the floor, ears ringing. He looked around, dazed and saw everyone else was also on the floor. He crawled over to Noctis and they managed to pull each other to their feet. Prompto swayed as he stood, feeling dizzy. He could see Noctis was talking, but his ears were ringing and he couldn't hear.

Noctis shook his shoulders out then turned around to help the other people up. Prompto's hearing slowly came back with a high pitched whistle, then everything was too loud. All he could hear was sirens blaring.

Someone grabbed his shoulder. “Prompto, are you okay?” He heard Ignis ask, but that couldn't be right, Ignis wasn't there. Prompto turned and sure enough there Ignis was, staring at him with worried eyes. “Prompto?” he repeated.

He nodded slowly, “I'm fine.” He slurred.

“You're bleeding.” Ignis noted, grabbing a handkerchief from his breast pocket and pressing it to Prompto's forehead. “Hold this here.” 

Prompto grabbed the handkerchief. “What's going on?”

“We don't know, had a call about an explosion so we rushed over. What are you two doing here?”

“We were having dinner.” Prompto answered sluggishly. 

“Iris!” Ignis called, “Get Prompto sat down somewhere, he has a head injury.”

Iris guided him to sit in the passenger seat of a waiting police car. “I think an ambulance will be here soon.”

“I don't need an ambulance.” Prompto said.

Iris rolled her eyes, “Well you've got to get checked out, so does Noctis. You were both caught in an explosion.”

“Prompto, where is Noctis?” Ignis asked as he ran over.

“I saw him a minute ago.” Prompto replied.

Ignis's eyes flicked to the burning building, “He wouldn't.” he whispered.

Prompto's heart stopped. “Why would he go in?”

A moment later, Noctis staggered out the building. He was black from soot and the edges of his clothes were singed. Ignis ran over to him, fury etched into every every inch of his face. “What were you doing?” Ignis half shouted, “You could have died Noctis!”

Noctis started to cough violently. “I wanted to see if I could put it out before it got worse” 

Prompto jumped up and grabbed Noctis into a tight hug, “Don't ever scare me like that again!” Prompto sobbed, clutching onto Noctis' burnt clothes.

“Noctis you're so dumb sometimes.” Iris cried.

“Did it work?” Ignis asked.

Noctis shook his head, “It was too hot in there.”

Prompto didn't want to let go of Noctis when the ambulance showed up, so Noctis had to walk with him with their hands entwined.

The paramedic rushed to put an oxygen mask on Noctis, who was still coughing. After securing the strap of the mask over his head, she turned to Prompto. Prompto flinched as she cleaned the cut on his head. He was lucky, she stated. It was just a shallow cut and it would only need a few paper stitches. She then checked him for a concussion before declaring that he was okay. Noctis' coughing had stopped by this point and after he had a thorough check over, she said he was also okay and they were free to leave.

Hands still entwined, they headed back to meet Ignis who was waiting by the car for them as Iris checked on the witnesses.. The light of the fire flickered on his glasses. “This was no accident.” He said quietly. Noctis and Prompto shared a worried glance. 

_

It took two days for the fire to be put out completely, and another two for them to investigate. Ignis handed a copy of the report to Noctis, Prompto and Iris, Prompto quickly skipped to the part where it said the cause. 

“Fire magic.” Noctis whispered before Prompto read it.

Luna quickly approached,, “Hey Prompto, there's some guys downstairs who say their friend is missing, and he matches the serial killers type.” She said quietly.

“Shouldn't we tell Ignis?”

Luna shook her head. “He said to go straight to you if anyone came in about the serial killer.”

Prompto nodded in understanding.

Luna took him downstairs to a meeting room. There were three guys arguing quietly with each other. One had green hair, one had red hair and one was blonde. The one with green hair was anxiously wringing a photograph in his hands whilst the other two argued. They looked up when Prompto walked in.

“Hi, I'm Dr. Prompto Argentum and I'm in charge of this case.” Prompto greeted in a friendly fashion.

“I'm Kirishima Eijirou.” The guy with red hair introduced himself.

The guy with blonde hair sighed. “Denki Kaminari.”

“Izuku Midoriya.” The shortest of the three mumbled shyly.

“I've heard you've got information about someone who’s missing?”

“I think Izuku is completely blowing this out of proportion” Eijirou said.

“I am not!” Izuku insisted. “Katsuki would have been in contact by now.”

“Let's start from the beginning.” Prompto suggested as he sat down.

“Five days ago, we were supposed to meet our friend Katsuki Bakugou for a meal and he never showed up.” Denki said.

Prompto made some notes. “Is it unusual for him to not turn up for plans?”

“No.” Kirishima snorted. “He's the most unreliable person I've ever met.”

“He would tell us if he wasn't going to turn up, and I saw him an hour before and he said he was going to come!” Izuku cried, eyes starting to fill up with unshed tears.

Prompto hastily grabbed a box of tissues and handed them over. “What time was it that you saw him last?”

“About five o'clock.” Izuku answered with a sniff.

“And where did you see him?” Prompto asked.

“The east side of the docks,” Izuku replied, “He was on a run.”

Prompto pulled out a small map, feeling uneasy. The explosion was at five ten, and realistically someone could have jogged to the site of the explosion from the east docks in ten minutes. 

“We got worried when we saw about the explosion, Katsuki can do some pretty powerful magic and he specialises in fire.” Denki added.

“Can I see a picture of him?” Prompto asked, needing to see if Katsuki matched the serial killers type like they thought. 

Izuku handed the picture he was holding over and Prompto's heart sank. He definitely matched the killers type. His hair was blonde and his skin pale. It was possible the killer tried to grab him and in self defence he used magic, causing the explosion.

Prompto chewed his lip in worry; so far the killer had killed the previous victims seven days after grabbing them, and it was day five. They only had two days to find Katsuki before he was likely to turn up dead.

“Can I take a copy of this picture?” Prompto asked.

Izuku nodded, “I need it back though.”

“I'll only have it for a second.” Prompto assured him.

Prompto took a photo of the picture with his phone then handed it back. “We'll get in contact with you if we find anything.” He promised before leaving.

When he got back upstairs, he quickly explained to Ignis what had happened. Ignis listened intently with a serious expression on his face. He nodded once before calling everyone to gather around.

“Everyone, someone is missing and they match the serial killers victim preference. Judging by his previous timeline, we have two days to find him.” Ignis explained.

“Two days?” Aranea asked incredulously, “We've been after him for months and have found nothing, how are we gonna find him in two days?”

“We have to try, or Katsuki Bakugou is going to die.” Prompto replied.

 

_

 

The next two days were a flurry of activity, from checking out the explosion site to pouring over every single case they suspected the serial killer was a part of. The only time they slept was when they passed out at their desks. Gladio came in a few times to bring them food, and to try and gently coax them into resting, but it didn't work. Even Nyx had decided to help them, even if he wasn't part of the investigation team.

Prompto was dangerously close to tears by the time midnight rolled around on the second day. 

He had failed.

Katsuki Bakugou was surely dead by now.

When the clock beeped, indicating it was midnight, Aranea threw her paperwork onto the floor in frustration. “How could we find nothing?”

Ignis took off his glasses and rubbed his exhausted eyes. “Maybe there will be a clue on the body.”

Prompto stood up and walked quickly out of the room as he started to cry with frustration. He wanted to save Katsuki Bakugou, but couldn't.

The sound of the door opening and closing behind him indicated someone had followed, but Prompto didn't have the energy to turn around.

“Prom.” said Noctis, grabbing his shoulder.

Prompto heaved in a staggered breath, pushing the palms of his hands into his eyes as he turned around slowly, “I'm sorry Noct.” He whispered.

“You don't need to be sorry Prom, we all tried our best but this guy is too careful.”

“It just seems so callous that we're going to try and get evidence off his body when his friends came to us for help finding him.” Prompto sniffed.

Noctis held him tightly in his arms. Prompto buried his face in his shirt and breathed in the smell of his cologne. “We have just gotta do our jobs now, and try and catch this guy.”

 

They went home to sleep for a few hours before they body was inevitably discovered. The call came through at nine, an officer went back to look at the explosion scene because the door had been opened and found the body.

Prompto sighed as he hung up. He watched Noctis sleeping for a few more moments before kissing him on the forehead to wake him.

Noctis mumbled something and buried his face deeper into the pillow. 

“C'mon Noct, we need to get to the office.”

Noctis groaned, “Don't wanna.”

“Tough.” Prompto said, glad Noctis was making him smile even though he felt stressed.

Noctis sighed dramatically and sat up. His hair was sticking up in every direction. Prompto smiled at him, the smile not meeting his eyes. 

“Hey,” Noctis whispered, cupping Prompto’s jaw. “It’ll be okay,”

Prompto bit his lip, fighting back tears once again. “His friends asked me to find him. I failed them.” 

Noctis wiped a stray tear from Prompto’s cheek. “You did the best that you could.” Prompto shrugged weakly, pulling away to get ready to head to the office. Noctis’ hand fell to the sheets with a soft thump, watching sadly as Prompto shuffled around the room lifelessly.

 

_

 

When they arrived at the office, the atmosphere was tense and sorrowful. “Good morning boys.” Ignis greeted them.

“Good is the last word I would use.” Noctis uttered bitterly. Aranea, who usually threw an insult at Noctis the moment he stepped through the door remained silent, not even looking up from the pile of paperwork she was staring at vacantly.

Iris was hastily writing on a sheet of paper, head bowed to shield her face with her hair. The door to Luna and Nyx’s room was closed tightly, no sounds of their usual giggling to be heard.

Ignis approached the two slowly, gesturing for them to go outside to the hallway. He closed the door behind them and sighed. Noctis tilted his head in confusion as Ignis slowly met his stare.

“Someone needs to contact the friends of the victim, let them know he’s been found.” He said gently. 

Prompto choked on his breath.

“You don’t have to do it,” Ignis began. “We can get-” 

“I’ll do it.” Prompto cut him off. Noctis looked at him in concern.

“Prompto, you don’t have to.” Noctis placed his hands on Prompto’s shoulders, turning him around to face him. 

“I do,” Prompto said. “I told them I would find their friend. This is my responsibility.” 

Noctis watched him for a few moments. He could see the determination in his blue eyes. There was no talking him out of this.

“If you’re sure Prompto, you can use the phone in my room.” Ignis said.

“That’ll be great, thanks.” Prompto nodded. Ignis opened the door and headed to his office, the two of them following close behind. Iris finally looked up from her paper, meeting Prompto’s eyes with a tearful smile.

“I’ll be here with you the entire time.” Noctis said as they entered Ignis’ room. Ignis picked up the phone and punched in the number for Izuku Midoriya before handing the phone to Prompto. 

“I’ll give you some privacy.” Ignis said, closing the door behind him as he left the two alone.

The phone rang a few times before the click of it being answered could be heard. “Hello?” The voice on the other side answered.

“Hello, is this Izuku Midoriya? This is Dr. Prompto Argentum calling from the Lucian Bureau of Investigation.” Prompto replied with all the confidence he could muster. Noctis put a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing in reassurance.

“Oh hi! Yes this is Izuku!” He replied excitedly. “Have you found Kacchan?”

Prompto squeezed his eyes shut to fight back the tears that had welled up again upon hearing the boys endearing nickname for his friend. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of what to say.

“Could you come into the station as soon as possible?” He asked,

“Uh.. yeah of course! Should I bring the others?” 

“That would be best.” Prompto said weakly.

“Okay, we’ll be there in an hour tops!” Izuku still sounded excited, he probably thought he’d arrive and find his friend waiting for him. He either didn’t notice Prompto’s choked voice or Prompto was just a better actor than he thought he was.

“Okay, see you then.” Prompto put the phone down with a shuddering breath, turning to bury his head in Noctis’ chest and clutching tightly to his shirt. Noctis ran a comforting hand over Prompto’s back.

“You did well. They’ll understand that you did the best you could,” He said,

Prompto’s reply was muffled. “My best wasn’t good enough.” 

 

Forty five minutes later, Prompto got a call from Libertus that they had arrived, so he asked him to bring them up. Luna let him use her office. It had the most space as it doubled as the conference room.

When they walked in, they seemed a little confused. Izuku was looking around, probably for his friend Prompto thought sadly.

When Prompto asked them to sit, Denki must have understood what happened from the look on his face.

“Where is he?” Izuku asked.

Prompto bit his lip. “I'm sorry.” He said quietly.

Izuku’s smile faltered. “Sorry?”

“We tried, but we were too late.” Prompto explained slowly.

Eijirou pulled Izuku into a hug as he started to sob when the realisation of what Prompto’s words indicated hit him. “What happened?”

“His body was put back at the site of the explosion.” Prompto said, deciding to not mention how he had been cut open and tortured before he was killed.

“Are you gonna catch who did this?” Denki asked quietly.

“We're trying,” Prompto said. The sound of Izuku's sobbing broke him suddenly and he could feel his eyes filling up. “I'm so sorry, we really tried.” he croaked before turning and quickly leaving the room. 

He ignored Noctis calling him. He needed to be alone.

Noctis sighed and walked into the room Prompto had just left. “I'm sorry guys but we need one of you to formally identify the body.” He said.

The guy with blonde hair stood up quickly. “I'll do it,” He turned to his red headed friend. “Stay with Izuku.”

They walked to the morgue in silence until Noctis had to say something. “We really did work hard you know, to try and find your friend. We didn't sleep for two days and he still beat us.”

The blonde guy gave a small smile. “It's okay. I know you all tried your best, I just wish he wasn't dead.”

“We all do.” Noctis agreed quietly.

Noctis carefully removed the blanket from Katsuki Bakugou’s face, not lowering it any further so his friend couldn't see the ruin his body now was. He was silent for a moment before answering, “Yeah that's definitely him.”

Noctis covered his face again. “Thank you. I know it's hard.”

Ignis caught up with them as the three boys accompanied by Noctis were on their way out. “Ah you're still here. I just wanted to say that you might want to be careful. This person seems to have a thing for blondes and obviously…” Ignis gestured to his hair.

Izuku gasped, his grip on Denki’s arm tightening almost painfully. 

“It's fine,” He gently patted the hand that was gripping him, looking down to give the green haired boy a sad smile. “I’ll dye my hair until you guys catch him. Thanks for letting me know. Good luck.”

After the three of them had left, Noctis saw Prompto back at his desk, staring at an envelope on his desk, unblinking.

“What's wrong?” Noctis asked quietly, putting his hand on Prompto's shoulder. 

He didn't answer but instead pointed to the note taped to the top of the envelope; ‘ _someone left this at the desk for you._ ’

Noctis's stomach flipped. Last time there was a letter left at the desk for Prompto, it wasn’t friendly. “Do you want me to open it for you?”

Prompto shrugged in response, so Noctis grabbed the envelope and opened it.

_Dear Prompto,  
You were too late. It's a shame really you didn't sleep, you were never going to find me. I enjoyed killing this one knowing you were looking for me, it made it that much more enjoyable. I took my time as well, hope you enjoyed the little touches I made just for you. Guess you aren't as clever as everyone thinks you are. _

Noctis folded the paper and shoved it back in the envelope. “You don't want to read that Prom.”

“I do.” Prompto replied, grabbing the envelope.

He read the letter with a look of utter calm that scared Noctis a little. “Prom?”

He calmly folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. Everyone was looking at them. Prompto put the envelope on his desk before standing up, “I'm heading home.”

Noctis followed him, “Prompto, wait.”

“I just need to be alone for a while Noct.” He said without even turning around or slowing down.

Noctis watched Prompto’s retreating form in defeat.

Prompto was relieved when he got home to find that his Dad wasn’t there. He would definitely ask questions that Prompto didn't want to deal with. 

Still fully clothed, Prompto climbed under his duvet and curled up. He clutched his old battered chocobo plush to his face, finally letting go of the tears he’d been fighting back all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, we finally uploaded the prequel one shot - Home Sweet Home  
> We have one more one shot already written that has more kid Prompto, but we want to know if you'd like more - please let us know in the comments!


	13. Chapter 13

When Noctis didn’t wake up to a text from Prompto telling him that he wouldn’t be in work the following day he was surprised, to say the least. He was even more surprised when he pulled up outside Prompto’s house half hour later and the blonde climbed in with a smile on his face.

“Good morning Noct.” He chirped.

Morning…” Noctis trailed off, his brows furrowed in concern. The last time he had seen Prompto, he was crying uncontrollably. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“I'm fine,” Prompto replied. “No point dwelling on the past.”

“Right.” Noctis kept quiet as they drove in. Prompto was acting odd.

When they walked into the office, everyone immediately fell silent and stared at Prompto in disbelief. Evidently, everyone felt the same as Noctis did.

Ignis told Prompto to go to his office, but before he went in himself he stopped by Noctis's desk. “Can you go to the hospital for me? There's a man there who was involved in a potential attempted kidnapping and he matches the preference.”

“Sure, but shouldn't Prompto be there too?”

“I need to talk to Prompto and this can't wait,” Ignis replied. “His name is Albert Wåhlander.”

 

When Noctis got to the hospital, he was directed to room 507 by the receptionist. He knocked on the open door before entering. There was one man sitting up in the bed and another sitting on a chair at the side. He recognised the one sitting down immediately as Sousuke, he was involved in the case of Haruka Nanase who was found dead in a swimming pool.

Sousuke smiled slightly when he saw Noctis. “Hello again.”

Noctis nodded in greeting before he turned to Albert. “I take it you're Albert Wåhlander?”

He nodded. 

“Great, I’m Noctis Lucis Caelum from the LBI. I’m here to ask a few questions,” Noctis said as he pulled out a small notebook from his breast pocket. “Firstly, Sousuke, why are you here? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I was the one who saved Albert.” Sousuke replied.

“Okay so I'd like the full story please.” Noctis said, holding his pen ready, eyes flickering between the two men waiting for one of them to respond.

“I was walking back from the swim meet. It was pretty late and I heard a noise behind me. I thought it was a cat or something so I ignored it. Then I felt something jab me in the back of the shoulder. I turned around and a man was behind me, holding a syringe. I felt really dizzy all of a sudden so I fell and I don't really know what happened after that.” Albert explained. His voice sounded strained.

“Can you explain how you came to be there Sousuke?”

“Rin asked me to check if he wanted to hang out so I went after him. When I turned the corner, some guy was trying to drag him into a car. I shouted and ran at them, that’s when the guy dropped Albert before jumping in the car and speeding off.”

Noctis nodded to himself as he took down some notes. “How do you and Rin know each other?” He asked Albert. 

“We've both been in swimming competitions together before, we recently got back in contact with each other after Haru’s death,” Albert said. “We both agreed that life was too short and we should all spend as much time together as we can.”

Noctis nodded and gave Albert a small smile of understanding. “Can you give me a time and location?” He asked. 

Albert answered and Noctis made a quick note. “I'll let you know if we find anything out.” He said before leaving. There was no doubt that this Albert fit the profile for the serial killers type. Blonde and fair skinned. Fortunately, the killer obviously wasn’t expecting their victim to get away so he wouldn’t have been able to clean up as he liked to, and they now knew how the killer has been able to snatch his victims. He would drug them and take them to a secondary location, wait a week, and then kill them when the drug would be out of their system, therefore untraceable.

Collecting Albert’s clothes from the nurses station to take in for evidence, he stopped and asked them to forward him a copy of the toxicology report as soon as it was available before heading back to the office.

When Noctis arrived, he wasn’t expecting to see Gladio at the door of their office, yet there he was, standing outside with an annoyed expression etched across his face. “What’s up?” Noctis asked as he approached. 

“Ravus is here.” Gladio grunted.

“Ohhhh, gotcha.” Noctis nodded in understanding. Gladio did not like Ravus one bit, purely because the man had a crush on Ignis. 

“Ya know Specs won't mind if you came in.” Noctis said casually as he pushed open the door.

“Not sure if I can stop myself from punching that smug bastard in the face.” Gladio grumbled, following behind Noctis. Ignis was talking to Iris at her desk and Ravus was nowhere to be seen. Prompto was back at his desk and was tapping at his keyboard rapidly.

Gladio strided over to Ignis and pulled him in to a passionate, possessive kiss. “Gladio, what are you doing?” Ignis hissed, pulling away with red tinted cheeks. Gladio simply shrugged, eyeing the door to Luna’s office. 

Noctis ignored them, heading over to Prompto’s desk and handing him the notes he made at the hospital.”I’m like ninety percent sure that this was our guy.” He said. 

Prompto nodded as he looked over the notes. “If he failed, he might try again soon.”

“My brother thinks that he already has.” Prompto jumped, not noticing that Luna had joined them. 

“How come?” Prompto asked, rubbing his knee after knocking it on the underside of his desk.

“I'll let him explain,” Luna said, “but I think he's right, follow me.”

Prompto gathered his files up from the desk before following Luna back into her room. There was a man sitting at the conference table. He had chin length, pale blonde hair. When he looked up, Prompto saw one eye was blue and the other was a light purple. One of his arms seemed to be made of metal. He stood up when Prompto approached and held out his hand in greeting. “Ravus Nox Fleuret.”

“Dr. Prompto Argentum,” Prompto said, shaking Ravus’ hand. “Luna said that you have something to share about the case I’m currently working on?”

“I was in the military with a man named Jack Morrison,” Ravus began explaining. “We both got injured at the same time in service and we became close friends at the hospital we were placed and we’ve been in contact with each other ever since. Everyday at eight o'clock, we meet at the park and have breakfast together. He didn't show up today.”

“So he's been missing for-” Prompto checked his watch. “-three hours?”

“Yes.” Ravus confirmed.

“And this is a cause for concern?” Prompto asked.

“Jack and I made a deal,” Ravus said. “To keep in contact with each other no matter what. For people like us, it's important. When you don't know if your friend is dead or not when you're fighting, you need to know at all times when you're safe.”

If it was anyone else, Prompto would not be concerned, but the way Ravus looked at him he couldn't help but agree with his statement. “Did you not hear from him at all this morning?”

“We always text at six o'clock, and he let me know when he was leaving to go to breakfast because he would be a five minutes late. I gave him ten and tried to call him but his phone went straight to voicemail.” Prompto was impressed with the amount of detail Ravus was giving. “I called Lunafreya then and she said to come in.”

“Have you got a picture of him?” Prompto asked.

“No,” Ravus replied, “but you should be able to get one from his army records.”

“May I ask why you haven't got a picture?” Prompto questioned. “It's unusual to be friends with someone for so long and to not have any pictures with him.”

Ravus frowned. “Jack doesn't like his picture being taken. In the accident that took my arm, he was hit in the face with shrapnel. He's got a lot of scars.”

Prompto nodded in understanding. He wouldn't want someone taking pictures of his scars.

Ravus leaned forward across the table, closer to Prompto. “Please find him. He means a lot to me.”

“We'll do everything we can.” Prompto promised.

Prompto got some more information from Ravus and went back to his desk. Grabbing a map of Insomnia from Ignis, he marked the location of Jack’s house and where he usually met Ravus for breakfast. Observing the surrounding areas, he marked down three possible routes and decided that the shortest route was the most likely route that Jack would’ve taken. He must’ve gone missing somewhere along there. 

“Prompto, you can use the big board if you’d like.” Ignis said, noticing that Prompto was struggling with the huge map on his small desk.

“Uhh yeah, thanks.” Prompto replied.

He carried all his stuff into the conference room, which Luna and Ravus had vacated, and stuck everything up on the whiteboard. It was easier to work now everything was visible and he wasn’t scrambling to catch things he was knocking off his desk.

“Hey Shortcake, you need some help?” Aranea asked, poking her head around the door.

“Um, yeah, I need to locations of all CCTV cameras along this stretch and the directions they’re facing.” Prompto replied, indicating to the line he had drawn on the map.

Aranea took a photo with her phone, “I'll get this to Nyx and get back to you as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.” Prompto said, studying the map again. He felt like he was missing something but couldn't work out what. Aranea returned about ten minutes later with a print out. Prompto stuck it to the board and studied it. There were a lot of cameras. Surely one of them caught something. “Do you know Ravus?” Prompto asked.

“Not really. I just know Gladio doesn't really like him because he has the hots for Specs.” Aranea answered, staring at the board with Prompto.

Prompto nodded slowly and pointed to a camera on the map. “We should be able to follow his whole route on cameras. We also need to check his house.”

“I'll tell Specs we're heading out.” Aranea said.

“You don't need to help me.” Prompto mumbled.

“I want to help,” Aranea replied, “You're a good detective Blondie, and a good person. You need to let people help you sometimes.”

Prompto smiled, considering her words. “Thanks Aranea.”

“Anytime hun.”

 

Together they headed out, deciding that they would check out the house first. It would be quicker than scouring through hours of CCTV footage. Besides, they wouldn’t know who they were looking for. Nyx still hadn’t got back to them with a picture of Jack. 

They used a key that Ravus had given them to get in. Jack’s apartment was small and sparsely furnished. He had a single armchair, a small television, and a single bed pushed into the corner. There was no photographs on the walls. No trinkets anywhere. The kitchen held only basic appliances and his bathroom was small too.

“He doesn't have a lot.” Aranea pointed out as she searched through cupboards.

“You would expect it from ex-military,” Prompto said. “But this is kinda extreme.”

Aranea opened the fridge, “All that's in here is one egg and a jar of mustard.”

“Isn't much of a meal,” Prompto said, making Aranea laugh. “He must order in, or he was about to go grocery shopping. He clearly isolates himself. It's a miracle really that he’s friends with Ravus, or no one might have noticed he was missing.”

“It's a miracle anyone is friends with Ravus.” Aranea mumbled.

“I don't think he's that bad.” Prompto replied as he searched through an empty drawer.

“That's because you see the best in everyone Shortcake,” Aranea said with a soft smile. Prompto was caught off guard, the only time he had seen Aranea smile was when she was mocking people, and it was nothing like the smile on her face now. “That’s why you're friends with me after all.”

“I like you Aranea,” Prompto said. “You’re a really good friend.”

“See what I mean!” She laughed.

The two of them searched through the kitchen a little more before Prompto’s phone buzzed with a text from Nyx.

_This was the only one I could find, sorry kid._

He opened the accompanying photo and Prompto couldn’t help but gasp a little. The picture was of a young man, clearly unconscious. He had a deep, thick cut running from his left temple to his right cheekbone, narrowly missing his eye, and another cut on the left side of his mouth. The cuts were stitched with an ugly black thread and the swelling made it dig into his skin. The problem was that it was impossible to tell what the scars looked like now. They must have been bad if he hated his picture being taken. Prompto noticed his hair was blonde, so it did match the victim profile.

“That ain’t pretty.” Aranea said, looking over Prompto’s shoulder at the picture.

“Well now we know what he looks like we can at least look for him in the CCTV, let’s head back and we can grab some of the tapes.” Prompto said.

They left, locking the door behind them. On the way back they stopped at twenty different stores to get copies of their CCTV footage from that morning. Nyx was in the process of acquiring the tapes from the government camera’s, but could take a while. The Insomnian government wasn’t known for their speed.

When they got back to headquarters, Ignis made everyone stop what they were doing, apart from Nyx, to go through the CCTV together. They each took five disks and a copy of the picture of Jack and started to work.

Prompto’s brain was numb after the second disk and didn't even want to think about the fact he was only halfway through. He thinks he spotted Jack and made a note of where he was and what time. He felt better when he looked up and saw Noctis was actually sitting with his mouth open, drooling a little, and sporting a vacant expression.

“Got something!” Iris shouted, making them all violently jump. 

“I wish people would stop making me jump in this place.” Prompto muttered to himself, rubbing his knee after banging it on the desk for the second time that day. Gathering around Iris’ desk, she rewound the footage a little for them all to see. 

A lone man stopped in front of the storefront, in perfect view of the camera. Suddenly, someone ran towards him and pushed something into his back. The man seemed to try and fight back, but soon lost his composure and fell. The assailant picked the man up and dragged him to the car that was parked nearby, shoving him into it. The angle was bad, making it unable to see the licence plate. It almost looked as if the suspect knew the camera was there and purposely parked so that they wouldn't be able to see it.

“We really need that street camera,” Ignis said. “I’ll make a phone call and see if I can hurry it up.” He rushed into his office, closing the door behind him.

Nyx came in, holding a thick wad of paper. “Yo, found something interesting.”

Aranea scoffed, “Yo?”

Nyx ignored her, holding the papers out towards Prompto. “I found Jack’s army records, and there's a lot here.” Prompto took the papers from him, quickly scanning through them.

The first thing that stood out was his first name wasn't Jack. John Francis Jack Morrison. His record was spotless. He and Ravus had worked together a lot, usually co-commanding missions together. Every mission they did was a success, and they only ever lost one soldier. That was until the last mission. The entry was vague and only mentioned the mission failed because there was an explosion and Jack and Ravus were injured too much to continue in service.

The rest was medical files. It mentioned that Jack had been shot in the back and that he had trauma from the explosion.

“We’ll have to ask Ravus more about this explosion, it could be relevant.” Nyx said.

Luna made a small noise and everyone turned to look at her. “He doesn't like talking about the explosion, he hasn't told anyone the full story apart from the military investigators.” She said quietly, face scrunched up in concern.

Prompto nodded, understanding that they might not get any information.“We’ll call him in and say it might be relevant, hopefully he will be able to bring himself to tell us.”

Luna paced back and forth in nervousness as they waited for Ravus to come back in. Gladio had seemed to mysteriously reappear and was hovering closely behind Ignis, who kept glancing at him and sighing. “Gladio, no matter how much Ravus flirts with me I’m not going to leave you for him.” He assured quietly.

“Just here to make sure he knows that.” Gladio replied, a slight edge to his tone.

“He does.” Ignis insisted. Gladio didn’t say anything in response as he placed his hand on Ignis’ shoulder, squeezing slightly when Ravus finally arrived. 

Ravus walked in and narrowed his eyes at Gladio. “Good afternoon.” He said bluntly. Prompto was sure he heard Gladio growl.

“Ravus, may we talk somewhere private?” Prompto asked.

“Of course.” Ravus replied.

“You can use my office,” Ignis offered. “I’ll wait at Prompto’s desk.”

 

When the door was closed behind them, Prompto gestured for Ravus to take a seat as he settled into one of the chairs himself. “Ravus, I know you may not wish to talk about this but I was hoping you could shed some light on the explosion you were in.”

Ravus tightened his hands into fists, his knuckles visibly turning white. “How could it possibly be relevant?”

“I wouldn't ask if there wasn't a chance it might be. You’ll have to trust me on that.” Prompto replied carefully.

Ravus sighed and pushed some of his blonde hair out of his face, which actually looked a lot more silver than blonde in this light Prompto noticed. “I only trust you because Lunafreya said you were honest. What do you want to know?”

“What happened basically. The file is vague.”

“It would be,” Ravus answered with a bitter chuckle. “We were sent to infiltrate an enemy base and when we got there, it turned out they were using the facility to turn children into daemons. The facility was automated and only had MT’s as guards, so one of the men wanted to blow it up. Jack and I said no, we were the superior officers and had the final say. Our job was to find out what was going on, and we found out. When we got back outside, we realised the soldier who wanted to blow the facility up was missing. We got there as he just finished priming the building for explosion. He managed to get out without injury, but Jack was hit by shrapnel and I was caught in the explosion. Jack wasn’t hurt as badly, so he tried to capture the soldier so we could get him court marshalled, but he was shot. The other soldiers luckily managed to get us back to base, but it was a close call for the both of us.”

“Was the man captured?” Prompto asked quietly.

“Yes, but he only had a year in jail. For shooting Jack and disobeying a direct order. He wasn't punished for the explosion at all. They said it was a good call,” Ravus said bitterly. “There were so many children there. We couldn’t have done anything, obviously, but it makes me feel sick.”

“What was the soldier’s name?” 

“Gabriel Reyes. People called him Reaper after that though.” Ravus replied.

“Could he have a grudge against Jack?”

“No doubt at all. We saw him a few months ago and he started to threaten us. Luckily, there were other people present and he left quickly.”

Prompto wrote down the name. “Thank you Ravus. I know it wasn’t easy for you to tell that story.”

“As long as I don’t need to tell it again.” Ravus said, standing up. “Also, please refrain from repeating it to Lunafreya. I don’t want her to know how terrible it was.”

“Yes, of course.” Prompto promised.

_

 

Six days past with no leads on the case, even though Prompto had got Ignis to put out a nationwide alert for Gabriel Reyes, nothing had turned up. Prompto was starting to get extremely frustrated, no matter how long he stared at the board, he was getting nothing new.

“Hey Blondie, you need a break,” Aranea said. “C’mon, let's go for a run or something, clear your head.”

“I can’t. I feel like I’m just missing something. It’s driving me crazy.”

Aranea grabbed his arm and dragged him from the room. “And that’s exactly why you need to have a break,” She picked up his gym bag from the floor by his desk and threw it at him. “Get changed and let’s go.”

Reluctantly, Prompto trudged into the locker room to get changed before meeting back up with Aranea outside. “Let’s go shortcake.” Aranea said, taking off in a steady jog. Prompto soon followed. He didn’t want to admit it, but getting away from the office actually made him feel so much better. Maybe Aranea was right, maybe he did need to get away from the stress of work more often Together, they ran in silence for a while. Prompto was faster and soon overtook Aranea after her head start, but she kept up pretty well.

“Hey,” she shouted after falling behind at a turn. “Slow down a little!”

Prompto laughed and slowed down so he kept pace with her. “Gladio did warn you I was fast.”

“And we both know Gladio has a tendency to exaggerate,” Aranea said breathlessly. “Can I ask you something kinda personal?”

“Um, sure.” Prompto replied hesitantly.

“What the fuck was Noctis doing to you when you bit him? It's been like a week and it hasn’t faded at all,” Aranea asked. Prompto somehow blushed even through the redness already on his face. “You don’t have to answer.” she added quickly.

He stayed silent for a moment. “Fingers.” He blurted out.

“He must be a lot better than he looks,” Aranea laughed. “How many?”

“Three.” Prompto squeaked. “Can we talk about something else now?”

“Yeah, sure,” she laughed. “What’s with your chocobo obsession?”

“They’re just cute.” Prompto huffed, slowing down as they both came to a stop outside the LBI building. Aranea ruffled his sweaty hair as she caught her breath.

“You’re adorable, Blondie.” Prompto swatted at her hands, trying to fix his hair unsuccessfully. After a quick shower, they changed back into their work attire and re-entered the office. Aranea slumped onto her chair in an exhausted heap, waving of Iris’ look of concern. Prompto headed back into the conference room and stood in front of the board again. This time however, his head felt a lot clearer than it did before. After a few moments, an idea hit him so hard that he actually staggered.

“I’ve got it!” He yelled. 

Aranea rushed in. “What?! What is it?” She looked around in confusion.

“I’ve worked out his pattern. He’s going to take Jack-” he pointed to a spot on the map. ”-here to kill him.”

Aranea observed his discovery and grinned triumphantly. “Great job Shortcake, let’s tell Specs.” Prompto practically ran into Ignis’ office and explained the situation to him. 

“We’ll have to stake the area out and try and catch him before he kills Jack. It could be tough.” Ignis said.

_

Prompto, Noctis and Aranea waited in one car at one end of the street and Ignis and Iris waited in another at the other end. It was nearing midnight and Prompto was basically vibrating with anticipation. 

“He’ll be here any minute.” Noctis said quietly.

When a van pulled up, they could hardly believe it. Prompto was right. They saw a dark figure go around to the side of the van and pull the panel open. He dragged something out that could easily be a person. The walkie talkie crackled to life, “That’s him. Move out.” Ignis’ voice commanded.

They all rushed out and ran to the suspect. “LBI, freeze!” Aranea shouted.

The black clad figure stood up straight in what seemed to be shock, before reaching into his coat and pulling out a long, sharp knife. They all froze for a second at the sight of the weapon, giving him the opportunity to make a quick slash across the stomach of the person he had been pulling out of the van. He then pushed the figure at them all, delaying them enough for him to dash back to the van.

Prompto hesitated. Should he go after the killer or try and save Jack?

His question was answered when Ignis grabbed hold of the killer.

Prompto knelt down and saw the huge gash in Jack’s stomach. It was bleeding, but not as much as it should have been. He must’ve had already bled him. Prompto didn't know what to do. The cut was so big. Noctis took off his jacket and balled it up and held it over the cut, applying pressure. Jack’s eyes opened briefly and Prompto looked deep into his deep blue orbs. 

“Thank you for trying.” He said so quietly that Prompto barely heard it, before taking one last staggered breath. 

Iris checked his pulse and cursed. “Out of the way.” Aranea said, pushing them aside to try and help by performing CPR, but it was too late. 

They were snapped out of their moment of grief by a loud cracking sound. Their heads shot up from Jack’s limp figure, to see Ignis’ laying on the ground, his face covered in blood. Prompto got there just as the van sped off with a deafening screech. There wasn’t even a license plate they could track. He knelt down to check how badly Ignis was hurt. His eyes were open, which was good, but he seemed stunned. His nose was definitely broken and his glasses had smashed, indenting small bits of glass and metal into his face.

“I’m sorry Prompto, he elbowed me.” He said in a pained voice.

“It's okay Ignis,” Prompto reassured him quietly, his hands fluttering over Ignis’ injured face in slight panic and worry. “It’s okay.”  
_

 

Prompto went back to the office alone that night. Noctis had gone with the coroner and Iris had gone with Ignis in the ambulance. Aranea was still at the scene, collecting what evidence she could.

Luna and Nyx were long gone. Prompto stood by his carefully constructed board of evidence numbly. He had worked it out, but still he was too late. He failed again. Not only had he failed himself, the team and the case, but he had failed Ravus too. He failed to find the mans, possibly, only friend.

He looked down and saw Jack’s dried blood was still on his hands and up his arms.

In a fit of rage and frustration, Prompto pulled every bit of paper off the board and ripped it up with a primal scream. When he was done, he fell to his knees with a sob. He hadn’t heard anyone come in after him, but someone pulled him into a hug. Eyes widening in surprise, he looked up to see grey hair. Aranea.

“Why am I always too late?” he cried.

Aranea rocked him gently, shushing him. “Shortcake, you’ve got to distance yourself, this job is going to eat you alive if you take it home with you.”

He clutched Aranea tighter, sobbing into her shoulder. She smoothed his hair comfortingly, looking around the room and surveying the damage Prompto had done in his despair. “Oh, honey.” She sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's up a little later than usual, I was distracted playing Lets Go Eevee - P


	14. Chapter 14

Two weeks after the alert went out, after Jack’s death, an officer had finally managed to find Gabriel Reyes. Prompto was a little frustrated with the length of time it took, but knew they were lucky to even find him. He had dropped completely off the grid when he returned to Insomnia after being released from prison.

They had left him in the interrogation room to stew for a while before anyone spoke to him. Prompto didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't the man who was waiting. Gabriel Reyes was a tall, muscular man and his tan indicated he worked outside a lot. His black hair was slicked back off his face with gel and he had a close cropped beard. He was scowling at the two way mirror, like he knew Prompto was watching him on the other side.

Prompto was not looking forward to going in there and interrogating him. He could tell that Gabriel was going to be aggressive. 

“Prompto, do you want someone else to go in with you?” Ignis asked, noticing the blondes hesitation. Prompto glanced at him quickly. His face was still bruised and he had half healed cuts all over his face. Apparently, Gladio was furious when he found out what happened, and Prompto could only blame himself. He should’ve been there to help Ignis. But he wasn’t, and now not only was Jack Morrison dead, but his friend was injured.

“I better talk to him by myself at first,” Prompto replied. “Just keep an eye on the interrogation please, I don’t know aggressive he might be.”

“Of course,” Ignis assured him. “I'll wait right here.”

Prompto grabbed his files and took a deep breath in before he opened the door, entering the interrogation room. Gabriel stared, dark eyes glittering menacingly as Prompto put his files down on the table. 

“I'm Dr. Prompto Argentum,” Prompto said, “I'm here to ask you some questions concerning Jack Morrison.”

Gabriel leaned forward in his chair. “I've got nothing to say about that bastard.” He spat.

Prompto ignored him. “Last week, Jack was murdered. We’re trying to get to the bottom of it,”

“Got what was coming to him,” Gabriel laughed darkly. “Why are you talking to me then? I had nothing to do with his murder. Wish I did though.” Prompto sat up straighter, steeling himself. This man was unnerving to say the least. How could someone have no compassion? No empathy?

“We have reason to believe you would want to hurt him because of an incident at an MT facility.” Prompto said, keeping the incident as vague as possible for Ravus’ sake. He knew Gabriel would know what he meant.

“Bet that bitch Ravus put you up to this,” Gabriel grunted. “Don't bother answering. I know he did. I'll repeat myself - I did not kill Jack Morrison.”

“Apparently, you saw Ravus and Jack a few weeks ago and made threatening comments.” Prompto pressed.

“I don't like them,” Gabriel shrugged. “They cost me my job, and for some fucking Niff kids as well. They were eighty percent daemon. There was no coming back from that. They didn't want to make the hard choice, so I made it for them.”

Prompto was stunned at his complete disregard for the lives he took. He subconsciously rubbed at his wrist where his barcode was hidden under his wristband. 

“Don't look at me like that pretty boy,” Gabriel hissed. “I made a tough choice and I'm living with the consequences. You and that prick Ravus have no idea. I'm the Reaper.” He added with a sinister laugh.

Prompto abruptly stood and left the room, a feeling of uneasiness brewing in the pit of his stomach as the man laughed at his retreating form. There was no evidence to convict him, and Prompto couldn't really arrest him for being a sociopath. Also, there was the fact he had no connection with the other victims. Taking this into consideration, Prompto made the decision to let him go. He saluted mockingly from the doorway at Prompto before leaving.

“Hey Prompto, let's go out tonight, get your mind off everything.” Iris said, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

“No thanks, Iris. I'm really tired. Would rather just chill at home.” Prompto replied quietly.

When he sat down, Noctis wheeled his chair over next to him. “Do you wanna hang out later? Just you and me. We’ll order food in and watch a movie.” He asked gently.

“Yeah, that'll be nice.” Prompto replied with a soft smile.

Noctis held his chin gently then kissed him. “Chin up Prom.” He smiled.

“No kissing in the office!” Iris yelled across the room, making Prompto blush.

“Zip it shrimpy!” Noctis retaliated, mockingly throwing his ball of elastic bands at her. Prompto laughed, shaking his head fondly at the twos antics.

Before they left for the day, Prompto slyly put all his notes into his bag. He knew it was a bad idea, but he wanted to work on the case a bit more when he got back from Noctis’ house. 

_

 

They ate pizza on the sofa and cuddled while watching a movie. Prompto had never seen it before, but Noctis said it was his favourite. It was about the one of the Kingsglaive - which was ironically, was the title of the movie - who noticed a Niflheim peace treaty was a scam to break into the city and steal a magic crystal. He could see why Noctis liked it, with all the action and magic, but it was a little far fetched for Prompto’s liking. It was long and Prompto was starting to feel restless. He looked up at Noctis from where he was laying on his chest but he was too busy staring at the screen, totally invested in the movie.

Prompto leaned up and kissed Noctis lightly on the underside of his jaw. He jumped but seemed unable to tear his eyes from the screen. Prompto propped himself up higher and nipped at Noctis’ neck. “Prom.” Noctis warned.

“I’m bored.” He whined.

“Watch the film, you won’t be bored then.” Noctis replied.

Prompto sat up with a huff and climbed into Noctis’ lap, wrapping his arms loosely around his neck as he straddled him. Noctis tried to look around Prompto but he leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss. Not even Noctis’ favourite movie could distract him from Prompto’s kisses. He pulled Noctis’ hair gently, pulling his head back as he slipped his tongue into his mouth. Noctis groaned and melted into the sofa, arms around Prompto’s waist.

After a few moments, Prompto pulled away. Noctis pouted, making Prompto giggle. Noctis tightened his arms around Prompto’s waist and pulled him tight against his body. “You’re so gorgeous Prom,” He said breathily. Prompto bit his lip as he thought. He wanted to show Noctis his scars but was terrified how he would react. He knew Noctis wouldn’t be horrible, but he was worried he would treat him differently. Like he was fragile. “What you thinking about?” Noctis asked, noticing Prompto’s internal battle.

“I want to show you something, but I’m scared.” He admitted quietly.

“You don’t need to scared,” Noctis said. “And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I know, I do want to.” Prompto said, climbing off Noctis’ lap.

He pulled off his jumper and tried to undo his shirt but his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t. “Do you need a hand?” Noctis asked, not taking his eyes from Prompto’s face.

Prompto nodded, “But don’t look until I say.”

“Of course.” 

Noctis stood in front of him and kissed him, eyes closed. Prompto tangled his fingers in Noctis’ hair to ground himself as he felt Noctis slowly undo his shirt buttons. When he reached the bottom, he put his hands up to Prompto’s face and cupped it gently. “What do you want me to do now?”

“Kiss me.” Prompto replied shakily, pulling Noctis’ head towards his again. With a trembling hand, Prompto lead one of Noctis’ hands to his stomach and put it on the scarred skin.

His touch was light and curious, until he realised what he was feeling and gasped into Prompto’s mouth. Instead of pulling away, he kissed Prompto deeper and continued to gently touch him, mapping out every scar with his fingertips. He only pulled away when Prompto stopped shaking.

“You doing okay?” He asked softly.

“Yeah, that was the worst part over with,” he replied. “You can...um… look if you want.”

Prompto let his hands fall to his side as Noctis pulled away slowly. Noctis stared at the scars with an unreadable expression on his face. He went to touch them again, but looked up at Prompto hesitantly, “Is this okay?” 

Prompto nodded.

He ran his fingers over the thickest scar, a little firmer than the first time, like he was trying to work out how bad the original injury was. “Can you explain this to me?” He asked quietly.

“When I was sixteen, I was struggling. I felt dead all the time, so I cut myself once to see if I could feel it. I could, and the pain was addictive. So I did it again and again, but the more I did it the more it made me hate myself. So it was like a vicious cycle.” Prompto explained in a whisper.

Noctis dropped to his knees, reminding Prompto horribly of how his dad had reacted when he found out. He grabbed Prompto either side of his hips and pulled him down. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

“Thank you for not freaking out.” Prompto replied before leaning forward and pushing Noctis down in a deep kiss.

–

Prompto got back just before midnight, and was surprised to see his dad was waiting up for him. “Hey Prom-pom.” He said gently.

“Hey dad, what are you doing up?”

“I wanted to see you. You’ve been so busy lately that we hardly get to see each other anymore. I’m worried about you.”

Part of Prompto wanted to lie, to tell him he was okay and not to worry, but he made a promise to himself when he was sixteen to not lie to his dad anymore, so he took a deep breath and told the truth. “I hate the way this case is going. He always seems one step ahead of us, and we were so close and he just slipped away. I just want it to be over so he can't hurt anyone anymore.”

“It sucks having a case like that. I had a few when I was a detective and nothing feels worse than not being able to close a case. But Prom,” He sighed. “You have to learn to switch off and try to not let it affect your personal life. It will drive you crazy if you don’t stop dwelling on it.”

“Aranea said something similar.” Prompto said, hoisting his bag onto his shoulder better.

“Well she must be one smart lady.” Cor laughed.

“Yeah, she is.” Prompto smiled.

After a few moments of the two catching up, they both said their goodnights and Prompto headed up to his room. He took down a few of his posters and instead put up all his notes he brought home. He felt uneasy as he did it, thinking back to warnings both his Dad and Aranea had given him about dwelling on the case too much, but he wanted to get this case done as soon as possible and if this was what he needed to do then so be it.

When Cor went up to bed an hour later, he peeked into Prompto’s room to see if he was okay. He had fallen asleep on top of his bed covers, so Cor went in and covered him with a blanket, taking a second to observe his sons sleeping face. Even asleep, Prompto looked exhausted and stressed. When he turned to walk out, he noticed that Prompto had tacked case notes onto his bedroom wall. Feeling a little disappointed with his son, he left the room and closed the door behind him gently.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SMUT WARNING!!

Every two weeks, another body would show up, each one just as elaborately displayed as the other. The only difference between these new victims and the previous ones, however, were that these ones were loners. People with no family or friends to report them missing. There was no chance to save them, they had no idea about them until they were found dead. It didn't help that the team had only identified one, even though there were four bodies. They were too far mutilated to even make a guess as to what they would have looked like before. Everyone was getting frustrated with the lack of evidence.

With every body discovered there would be another letter along with a set of photos. Prompto stopped telling the rest of the team about them after the second letter. He didn’t know why, instead he would keep them to himself. 

The latest letter he’d received was strange, stranger than usual, and Prompto wanted to get home to analyse it as soon as possible. He hastily shoved the envelope deep into his bag and made to leave quickly before he was stopped by a voice.

“Prompto, you haven't forgotten about dinner have you?” Luna called out.

He had, but smoothly played it off with a friendly smile. “Of course not, I just wanted to drop my bag off at home first.”

“I'll take you.” Noctis said, getting up and stretching, eager to get away from the mountain of work he had stacked messily on his desk.

“Please don't get distracted.” Luna shouted as they left.

Prompto nervously played with the strap of his bag on their journey to the car. It was always difficult to keep secrets from Noctis, but if Prompto shared these letters with him now he knew Noctis would make himself sick with worry. The last thing he wanted was for Noctis to worry about him.

“You still up for it Prom?” Noctis asked, snapping Prompto out of his thoughts. “You seem kind of distracted.”

Great. Prompto thought. Even when I’m trying not to worry him I still manage to.

“I'm fine Noct,” Prompto sighed, giving him a weak smile, “Just tired.”

“Let me know if you want to leave early, we can make an excuse.” 

As tempting as that sounded, Prompto shook his head. “Luna said she's got some big announcement, we better not leave early.” He said.

_

 

The restaurant they had gathered at was crowded by the time they all finished eating. Luna looked at Nyx and had a silent exchange before standing together, the table falling silent of chatter. “Thanks everyone for coming, we've got something to tell you.” Nyx said. He looked nervous, which was unusual for him.

Luna took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Nyx looked up, meeting her eyes with a fond smile before giving her a gentle nod. Luna took in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant!” 

The tables occupants were sat silently in shock for a few beats before Iris broke their stupor with a gleeful shout. They all followed in suit, shouting their congratulations at the happy couple. All apart from Noctis that was, who sat there with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. “I thought we were best friends, why didn’t you tell me first?” He muttered sulkily. 

“How far along are you?” Iris asked, bounding over to excitedly grab Luna’s hands. 

“Three months,” Luna smiled, “We wanted to wait a little bit before we shared the news.”

Noctis’ sulk left ignored, they all discussed the good news. Prompto, however, wanted to get another drink, eager to disguise his distracted mind behind a straw. He squeezed his way his way over to the bar and ordered himself a chocolate milkshake, complete with six inches of cream and topped with a decoration of chocolate sauce and chocolate bars. He was going to have work harder at the gym this week to work off all these calories, but after these past few exhausting weeks, he deserved it he thought. Mouth watering, Prompto walked carefully back to the table, the glass clutched tightly in both hands.

He spilled half the drink down the front of his yellow jumper when a man bumped into his shoulder, hard. Shocked, Prompto turned to look at him but he didn't even apologize and kept walking. With a sad sigh, Prompto walked the rest of the way back to the table, a mess of chocolate and cream.

As soon as she saw him, Aranea burst into hysterical laughter. Noctis turned around and smirked, fighting back his own laughter.

“Don't laugh guys.” Prompto huffed.

“Everytime we all go out together you manage to fuck something up.” Aranea managed to say through her sniggering.

“It's not my fault, some guy bumped into me,” Prompto slumped into his chair, miserably looking at his now half empty, ruined milkshake. “He didn’t even apologise either!” He added.

“Where is he?” Noctis said, sitting up straighter.

“Noct, don't worry about it. You know what, I'm actually going to go home now and try to get this out before it stains.”

“A stain might actually improve it.” Aranea retorted, still laughing.  
“Hey!” Prompto protested as he stood, “My dad made this for me, don’t be mean.”

Aranea gave him an amused smile, rising slightly to give him a pat on the shoulder. “Sorry, Blondie.”

After giving Nyx and Luna his congratulations and saying goodbye to everyone, Prompto left. He shivered as he stepped outside, wrapping his arms tightly around himself to try and retain some warmth. The wind was cold and harsh against his skin, and the milkshake has soaked all the way through to his undershirt.

He started to walk home, thinking of the warm shower and comfy bed waiting for him when he was startled by a noise from behind. He quickly turned, only to see nothing but the empty path littered with a few fallen leaves illuminated by the street lamps above. He cursed himself for being jumpy before a cold feeling of dread overcame him. It was dark and he was alone, and blonde. He hastily turned back in the direction he was headed and began to walk quicker. 

His heart began pounding as a car slowly pulled up next to him. 

“Hey,” Prompto jumped at the voice, stumbling back a few steps. At the sound of chuckling, Prompto looked through the window, sighing with relief when he saw it’s occupant. Noctis. “C'mon, I'll drive you home.” He said.

With a grateful smile, Prompto climbed in the passenger seat and Noctis turned the heater up for him. “Thanks, Noct.” 

Pulling up to Prompto’s house, he invited Noctis inside. Prompto opened the front door and was concerned for a moment when his dad didn’t call out a greeting before realising that he must have left for Lestallum already. His friend Dustin has recently moved out there and Cor had gone out to visit him, he wouldn’t be back until Monday. Prompto felt a pang of sadness that he didn’t get to see him off or say goodbye. 

“Wait here for a minute Noct. I'll change my shirt and get this in the wash.” Prompto said.

“Sure, I'll wait here.” Noctis replied, flopping comfortably onto the sofa.

Prompto rushed upstairs, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. After changing into an old hoodie, the realisation that he was home alone all weekend hit him like a ton of bricks. Prompto bit his lip as he slowly pulled open his bedside drawer. Sure enough, hidden away at the back was the items his dad had given him before his own trip to Lestallum. Lube and condoms. His pale cheeks flushed as he observed them. He would be a lot mor comfortable doing this in his own bed, and they did have all weekend alone together.

Decision made, Prompto quickly straightened his room and put all his case notes in a drawer. He didn't want Noctis to know just how obsessed he was with solving this case.

He deemed the room acceptable and went back downstairs, holding his milkshake covered clothes in his hands. He shoved the clothes in the washing machine and put it on. 

When he got back to Noctis, he found him flicking through one of his dad's knitting magazines. “If you don't mind Noct, I'm gonna jump in the shower. That milkshake has made me feel sticky.”

“I'll go, if you want.” Noctis said.

“No, please don't” Prompto stammered, “I'm… um, alone... all weekend. I'd like you to stay, please.”

Noctis smiled gently. “Okay.”

“All weekend?” he asked hopefully.

“All weekend.” Noctis confirmed. “I'll just text Ignis and Gladio to look after Stuart and Umbra.”

“I'll be back in a bit, okay?” Prompto said, leaning down to give Noctis a quick kiss.

“Take your time.” Noctis replied, leaning back against the sofa and making himself more comfortable. 

“If you want, you can wait in my room.” Prompto offered.

Noctis paused his attempts at wiggling himself into a comfortable position between the couch pillows, pondering the suggestion for a few seconds before answering. “Okay.”

Together, they headed upstairs.

—

Prompto had done a lot of research ready for this moment, and he cleaned himself thoroughly in the shower. He was shaking slightly as he dried himself off, but it was from anticipation more than nerves.

He pulled his hoodie back on and a fresh pair of boxer briefs, his least childish pair with a comic strip pattern on them rather than his usual chocobo adorned ones. With a deep breath, he walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. Noctis had taken off his jacket and draped it over the back of Prompto's computer chair while he was browsing the books lined up on the bookshelf. He looked over when Prompto walked in and smiled. “Hey.” he said softly.

Prompto answered by pulling him into a passionate kiss. Their lips moved in unison until Noctis pulled away and started kissing down Prompto's throat, gently nipping at the sensitive skin.

“Don't leave a mark.” Prompto whispered as he shivered at the sensation.

“I won't.” Noctis replied breathily, hot breath tickling  
Prompto's neck.

His hands were in Prompto's hip, then his ass as he pulled their bodies flush together. “Is this okay?”

“Yes.” Prompto breathed, leaning in to kiss Noctis again.

Noctis's cold hands went up his hoodie, onto his bare back, making him yelp with surprise. Noctis quickly pulled his hands out, “Sorry.”

“It's okay, your hands were just cold,” Prompto giggled, “How about I'll just tell you if I don't like something?”

“That's good with me.” Noctis replied, returning his hands to their spot on Prompto’s back.

Their kisses grew increasingly desperate, teeth clashing together more than once and making both of then giggle. Prompto undone Noctis's shirt buttons slowly and when he was done, ran his hands over his firm torso with a contented sigh. Noctis shrugged his shirt off and pulled away just for a moment to take Prompto's hoodie off. Their lips were back together in a flash and Prompto's pounding anxiety was quickly calmed by Noctis’s lips on his.

It was a strange sensation for Prompto to have someone else's bare torso against his, a sensation he never thought he'd feel.

When Noctis pulled away, he was panting, his eyes dark with desire. “I need to take off my jeans or something Prom.” he panted.

Prompto responded by reaching down to undo his belt buckle. He fumbled with the button of Noctis’ jeans before managing to undo it and pull down the zipper. Noctis twitched at the contact. 

Prompto pulled away, slowly moving over to his bed. He sat down and leaned against the headboard, keeping his eyes on Noctis, who still stood with his eyes closed, breathing heavily as he tried to compose himself. “C'mon.” he said in what he hoped was a seductive voice.

It must have worked, because Noctis nearly fell over in his haste to get his jeans and socks off. He crawled over to where Prompto was laying and settled between his legs. Prompto was hyper aware of the feeling of Noctis' hard length pressing against his body as he was kissed again.

Noctis moved his way down Prompto's body, leaving bruises and teeth marks in his wake, before kissing the inside of Prompto's thighs. He hooked his fingers around Prompto's briefs before looking up at him and whispering huskily, “May I?”

Prompto nodded, his mouth not seemingly able to make any sound apart from desperate panting. Noctis eased Prompto's pants off slowly, kissing and nibbling at his hips, ignoring the stretch marks that Prompto once found ugly. Now he found it hard to find any part of himself ugly when Noctis was worshipping his body.

“So gorgeous.” Noctis praised, nipping the inside of Prompto's thighs before kissing the underside of his aching cock.

Prompto whimpered and struggled to find words. He wanted to tell Noctis what he wanted to do, but his mind was fuzzy with bliss. Eventually he found his voice, “Wait a sec.”

He opened the drawers, fumbling to grab the contents inside and wordlessly handed the items to Noctis. He started at them for a moment, “You sure?”

“Yes. More than anything in my life. Yes.” Prompto replied, leaning forward to kiss Noctis again.

“Tell me if you want me to stop.” Noctis said as he pulled away.

“Of course.” 

Noctis pushed him gently down onto his back and kissed him until he was completely pliant under his touch. He pulled away and shimmied out of his own black boxer briefs. Prompto's heart was hammering in his throat, he and Noctis had seen eachother naked, or nearly naked in Prompto's case, but never had both of them been at the same time. 

Noctis grabbed a pillow and gently lifted Prompto and put it under his butt. He answered Prompto's questioning look with “It'll make it more comfortable for you.”

He lent forward to kiss him again, and the sensation of their dicks touching made Prompto moan out loud. Noctis smirked and kissed Prompto, grinding their bodies together. Prompto was barely aware of the sound of the tube of lube being popped open, he was too focused on the delicious friction between their bodies, until Noctis gently pushed his index in to the first knuckle. 

Prompto groaned into Noctis's mouth as he eased his first finger inside. He pulled away from his mouth just long enough to whisper what a good job Prompto was doing into his ear. The blood that remained in Prompto's brain rushed south at the whispered words. 

Noctis eased in a second finger, then a third, whispering the whole while. “You're taking my fingers so well baby, are you ready for my cock?”

Prompto nodded eagerly, a writhing mess from the way Noctis was slowly fucking him with his fingers. “Please Noct.”

With a satisfied smirk, Noctis handed Prompto the condom to open. He struggled a little as his body kept trembling from Noctis' careful fingers.

He handed over the open condom and Noctis put it on with one hand, not taking his fingers out and his eyes off Prompto's face. He passed Prompto the lube and held his hand open. At the moment he started to squeeze, Noctis’ fingers brushed against his prostate and he squeezed the tube way too hard with a desperate gasp. Noctis chuckled huskily at the excess of lube now coating his hand.

He thoroughly slicked himself up before pulling his fingers out. Prompto whined at the empty feeling. “Ready?”

Prompto nodded eagerly.

Noctis lined himself up and gently pushed the tip of his dick in. Prompto gasped, hands scratching at Noctis' back. “Please Noct.” He gasped.

He eased himself in slowly, taking careful stock of Prompto's face as he did so. When their hips were flush, he leaned forward and kissed up Prompto's neck to his jaw, “You're taking my cock so well baby.” He whispered against his flushed skin.

Prompto wrapped his legs around Noctis's hips, pulling him in closer. “Fuuuuuuck, Noct.” He moaned as he shifted a little, desperate for more friction.

“I'm going to move now, okay?” Noctis asked gently.

“Okay.” Prompto breathed.

Noctis pulled out a little, slow and gentle before sliding back in just the same, keeping a steady pace. Prompto moaned into his neck as he thrust a second time. Steadily, Noctis sped up as he found a rhythm, whispering words of encouragement the whole time.

With a particularly hard thrust, he hit Prompto's prostate once again and made him see stars. He tightened his legs around Noctis's hips and pulled their bodies tighter together. “Yes Noct like that.” he panted. He could feel Noctis' grin as he kissed his collarbone and thrust again just as hard.

Time passed in a blur and the only things Prompto was aware of was Noctis inside of him and his fingers against Noctis' back. He was barely aware of the tears running from the corners of his eyes as Noctis reduced him to a panting, moaning mess.

Noctis grabbed his hips and lifted him up slightly, and the different angle made every thrust hit the perfect spot. Noctis reached between them and took Prompto's leaking cock in his hand and started to pump it along with every thrust. Within seconds, Prompto was nearly sobbing from the sheer amount of pleasure.

He could feel his orgasm building, and when Noctis whispered “Come for me,” into his ear it hit him like a wave as he trembled in Noctis’ embrace. Prompto was sure he blacked out for a moment and before he knew it, Noctis' thrusts got sloppier and with a strangled gasp, he collapsed on top of Prompto.

Chests heaving, they lay together for a few moments, before Noctis sat up and with shaking hands eased himself out of Prompto. Prompto gasped at the feeling of emptiness as Noctis hissed from how sensitive he was was post orgasm.

Noctis staggered out of the room as Prompto watched sleepily. He came back with the condom removed and a damp washcloth. He gently cleaned the mess off Prompto’s release off his chest.

He went back to the bathroom to wash the cloth out before throwing the pillow on the floor and climbing into the bed with Prompto. He immediately rolled over to snuggle into Noctis.

“Did you enjoy?” Noctis asked quietly.

Prompto hummed and kissed Noctis's chest. “It was so good. We'll have to do that again soon.”

Noctis laughed sleepily and kissed the top of Prompto's head. “Goodnight Prom.”

“Goodnight Noct.”

—

Noctis was awoken the next morning with his torso cold. He was confused for a moment, how could he have let himself sleep with his ears uncovered? There were probably so many bugs in his ears they started their own civilisation.

He heard a sleepy sigh and his thoughts were soon snatched away from the community of bugs now residing in his ears as he suddenly remembered everything that happened last night. The thing that stuck in his mind the most was Prompto, flushed from his head to his sternum and panting under Noctis' hot touch. 

Noctis slowly opened his eyes. Prompto was laying next to him, still asleep judging by the steady rise and fall of his chest. He was laying on his back, the duvet only covering one of his legs and hanging half onto the floor. Noctis smiled as he saw the marks he had left the night before mixing with the delicate array of freckles on Prompto's body. His hair was messy and one hand lay on his scarred stomach. Noctis had never seen a more beautiful sight. 

He carefully leaned over Prompto to grab his camera and snapped a quick shot. The sound of the shutter made Prompto crack his eyes open, “What are you doing Noct?” he asked sleepily. Then he blinked a few times as he became more conscious, “Wait a minute, were you taking a picture of me sleeping?”

“Sorry, I had to.” Noctis replied sheepishly. “You just looked so good.”

Prompto grumbled as he sat up slowly and stretched. Noctis caught sight of a faint tan line down Prompto's arm. He remembered Prompto's sunburn in Lestallum and started to giggle.

“What is it?” Prompto asked. “Why are you laughing?”

“The tan line.” he sniggered, indicating vaguely to Prompto's arm.

Prompto blushed, “It won't fade.”

Noctis smiled lazily, “It's cute, don't worry.”

“You always say that.” Prompto said.

“It's because everything about you is perfect.” Noctis grinned.

Prompto blushed deeper before he climbed out of bed. 

“Where you going?” Noctis asked, grabbing the duvet and wiggling back under. 

“I want to go for a run.” Prompto replied quickly, seemingly embarrassed by his nakedness.

“Wouldn't you just rather lay in bed all day?” Noctis questioned him from his duvet cocoon.

“I've never lay in bed all day before.” Prompto answered.

“You haven't lived.”

Noctis waited until Prompto was preoccupied pulling on shorts before he jumped out of bed and grabbed Prompto around the middle, lifting him off the floor. “Noct! Put me down!” he laughed, trying to wriggle out of his grip.

“No way, you're going to lie in bed all day and you're gonna enjoy it.” 

Noctis dropped Prompto back onto the bed, ignoring his complaints and pulled the duvet over the both of them. He snuggled into Prompto's side, feeling warm and safe under the covers.

After an hour, Prompto started to fidget, snapping Noctis out of his sleepy haze. “Keep still.” he grumbled.

“I need to pee.”

Noctis reluctantly rolled off Prompto and somehow fell asleep in the moments that Prompto had left. He woke up again when Prompto came back in the room, but it had clearly been a while because Prompto was dressed and the room was now bright, no longer covered in a hazy glow from the sunrise peeking through the curtains.

“Where have you been?” Noctis asked, sitting up slowly.

“First, I went to your apartment to get you some clothes.”

“Unnecessary, I’m good with staying naked all weekend.” Noctis said. Prompto laughed and threw the bag of clothes at him.

“Then I got us breakfast, so get some clothes on and we can eat.”

“I don't wanna get dressed.” Noctis grumbled.

“At least get some pants on.” Prompto insisted as he pulled off his own t-shit and jeans, stealing Noctis’ hoodie from his bag.

“Did you bring that just so you could steal it?”

Prompto laughed, “Maybe.”

Noctis reluctantly pulled on his shorts while Prompto grabbed a bunch of blankets from his bed before leading him downstairs. They made a huge nest of blankets on the sofa and snuggled up together while watching repeats of TV shows and eating the pancakes Prompto brought back. Noctis fell asleep again after a while. 

Prompto wiggled away from him after an hour. He wanted to make them some food. He searched through some cupboards but wasn't really inspired. 

He poured himself a cup of water and was drinking it while searching through the freezer when he was startled by a strangled scream. He jumped violently and dropped the glass on the floor before he realised it was Noctis. 

Prompto ran back into the front room. Noctis was sitting bolt upright, his face a lot paler than normal and he seemed to be hyperventilating.

Prompto scrambled over, “Noct, what's wrong?”

Noctis was shaking violently and tried to pull the covers off. Prompto carefully helped him and Noctis fell into his arms. Prompto held him tightly and ran his fingers through his hair gently. 

“It's okay.” Prompto kept repeating in a soothing whisper, kissing Noctis on the head everytime he said it.

When the shaking stopped, Noctis apologized. “You scared me half to death Noct, what happened?”

“I have nightmares, about my dad dying.” Noctis confessed quietly, burying his face in the crook of Prompto's neck. “I'm trapped and I can feel his blood all over me.”

Prompto clutched him even tighter, not knowing what to say. “Do you need me to do anything?”

Noctis shook his head, burrowing himself deeper into Prompto’s comforting embrace. “This is all I need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we first posted this story we were 13 chapters ahead of schedule, now we're on 15 and we only have like 3 more chapters written out so please forgive us if we miss an update day, I'm trying my best to keep up with all the writing and editing that I do on my end but life is getting in the way as of late :(( If it makes up for it though, P is distracted with writing a bunch of other fics whilst I'm slacking so more content is on the way xoxo - L


	16. Chapter 16

A feeling of unease suffocated the station when the murders suddenly stopped. They were consistent for months. Every two weeks a body would turn up and then suddenly there was none. There was an unspoken hope between everyone that the killer had stopped, everyone but Prompto that is. He still felt uneasy. Prompto felt like the killer was waiting for something. Something big.

However, Prompto had to try and push the unease from his mind when he was put on a new case with Iris. Ignis had picked them specially for the job.

“This job is very important,” He said seriously, chin resting on steepled fingers. “There is a religious group in the hills that worship Ifirit. There's rumours that they practise human sacrifice by burning people alive. I need you two to infiltrate the group, pretending to be reporters and get as much information as you can.”

“Why would they talk to reporters?” Iris asked skeptically.

“We have a contact at Meteor Publishing, and he says they contacted him interested in giving interviews about their activities. They want to spread the teachings of Ifirit to all of Lucis.” Ignis replied.

“But why did you pick us?” Prompto questioned.

“Because you two look the least like LBI,” Ignis said. “And because of your interest in photography Prompto, you could pose as a photographer.”

Prompto nodded in understanding.

“We need you to concentrate your efforts on the groups leader. We don't know her name for sure but people call her Shiva.” Ignis said.

“Shiva? That's bold.” Prompto said quietly.

“If you go to Meteor, our contact is getting you press passes made and will give you equipment so you look genuine. The goal for this mission is reconnaissance, you will not attempt an arrest.” Ignis explained.

Ignis’ contact at Meteor turned out to be the editor, Vyv Dordon. He was very friendly and lent them a camera and dictaphone. The press passes he made were genuine apart from the obvious fact that Prompto and Iris didn't actually work for the magazine.

“We used your actual first names,” He explained as they looked at the passes. “It will be easier for you both if you don't have to remember a fake name in a high pressure situation.”

“That makes sense, thank you very much.” Iris said.

Prompto thanked him and together with Iris they both headed to the location. It was in the mountains in Leide and was a little hard to get to with the car. They pulled up on the side of the road near a dirt trail that led to the facility that the cult members resided in. “Okay Prom, you ready?” Iris asked as she pulled the keys out of the ignition, the hum of the car's engine now falling silent.

“I think so.” Prompto replied, he checked over all the equipment they had, making sure everything was accounted for. Even though they had the dictaphone, they had been wired under their clothing just incase. Noctis was on standby at the bottom of the trail listening to the audio for signs of trouble. He was in for a long, boring day. Iris squeezed Prompto’s hand in reassurance before they got out the car.

The facility was surrounded by a high wall with barbed wire at the top. The gate to get inside was metal and hugely intimidating. A column of black smoke billowed upwards from somewhere inside tainting the clear blue sky.

“What do we do?” Prompto whispered.

“Uh hello?!” Iris yelled out. “We're the reporters from Meteor!”

The gate creaked open a few feet with an ominous sound and a tall, bespectacled man slowly approached them. He shook both their hands before politely asking to see their identification. Iris and Prompto both raised their lanyards with their passes on up, Prompto with some difficulty because he was clutching his camera tightly. The man nodded after a quick inspection and led them inside. The area was built strangely, looking more like a post apocalyptic settlement that you'd see on the TV then a religious compound.

There were three long structures at the edges of the compound, and one slightly larger one that looked like a house. In the centre of the building, a huge bonfire was burning. It was surrounded by people who were all holding hands and swaying slightly as someone spoke. Prompto struggled to hear over the roaring fire, but managed to catch a few words. “-And Ifrit will burn the sins from our bodies and we will be free from the burdens of this life.”

Iris watched the fire warily and held onto the sleeve of Prompto’s jumper.

The man who lead them in watched both their reactions with an amused smile on his face, the light of the fire reflecting in his glasses. “Ifrit's blessing can be frightening to some people. Are you okay to continue?”

Prompto cleared his throat, “Yeah.”

He showed them around the compound after. Two of the three long structures were dormitories, one for men and one for women. Everyone wore a long, white robe. All of the robes were were a little dirty and frayed, stained from the black smoke of the burning pyre. The children watched them with hollow eyes. Prompto felt uncomfortable under their intense gaze. The other long structure was a kitchen.

“This is where our leader lives. She is Shiva in the flesh,” the man said, his eyes shining with pure joy. “You should be honored to be in her presence.”

The woman stood outside a smaller structure that stood alone to the side, a stone's throw away from the dormitories. Her robe was blue and looked considerably cleaner than the others. She had dark hair and was gazing at the people gathered around the fire with a serene expression in her face. When they approached, she held her arms out and smiled. “Welcome.”

“Thank you for letting us come here.” Prompto said.

“We decided that it was about time we shared the blessings of Ifirit to the rest of Lucis,” she replied. “I hope you can accurately spread the word.”

“Yes of course.” Iris said.

The woman lead them inside and gestured at the chairs for them to take a seat. The furniture was basic and made of wood Prompto noticed. He suspected that a lot of it was handmade.

She didn’t offer the two any refreshments, instead she perched herself on a large chair, the back of it carved with intricate designs. She spoke for a while, telling the teachings of Ifirit. Prompto thought the words coming from her mouth were frankly, quite scary. There was no doubt in Prompto’s mind that this woman was delusional, convinced that was actually the living embodiment of the goddess Shiva. Iris held out their dictaphone whilst Prompto took a few photos to keep up their appearance of being reports before they were interrupted by a man rushing in, apologising profusely as he did. He rushed over to the woman who called herself Shiva and Prompto strained his ears to hear his rushed murmurs. “My lady, we have a situation.”

The woman visibly stiffened but the smile on her face didn’t so much as twitch. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shall return shortly.” She stood and followed the panicked man out. Prompto shot Iris a nervous glance as the door shut behind them. 

“What’s going on?” Iris whispered. Prompto shrugged in response.

A few moments passed in silence before ‘Shiva’ returned, this time she was joined by another four men, each one large and muscular. Prompto swallowed nervously.

She sat down and stared at both of them intensely, crossing her legs and resting her arms on either side of the chair. “Something has come to my attention, and I must say I am not too happy about it.” She said slowly, fingers drumming softly against the arms of her chair.

“What’s that?” Iris asked.

“That one of you here, is a member of the LBI.” The moments that followed were deathly silent, all Prompto could hear was the roar of panic in his ears. Before either of them could stand the men were on them. Two on Prompto and another two on Iris. Prompto fought back briefly before one of the men quickly threw a fist at Prompto’s cheek. The men pinned their arms behind their back tightly, restraining them.

“We're not LBI.” Prompto gasped as his right arm was pushed against his back, throbbing painfully. Iris stayed as still and silent as possible, but shot Prompto a worried look at his pained gasp.

‘Shiva’ narrowed her icy blue eyes at Prompto angrily. “Do not lie to me. I will find out which one of you it is, and you will be punished.”

She stared at Prompto for a minute. “We'll start with him.”

Prompto squeaked in fright and tried once more to get away, but they grip on his arm tightened so much that Prompto was sure his arm was going to pop right out of its socket. 

“No,” Iris said suddenly, breaking her scared silence. Prompto froze at her words. “It's me. I'm the agent. He has nothing to do with it.”

They released Prompto, pushing him out of the way and turned their sights on Iris. Prompto’s eyes were watering with pain and he rubbed his aching arm. At the sound of the muscled men moving, Prompto quickly turned to look at Iris who was staring at him pointedly. _Don't you dare say anything_ , her eyes said to him.

‘Shiva’ stood up and hugged Prompto, pulling him down a little so he was at her height and smoothed his head gently. “I'm so sorry dear boy, I didn't want to hurt you.”

Prompto didn't know how to reply. She released him and looked at him fondly for a moment. “You should join us. You're too pretty to work for Meteor.”

“I-I don't think think I'm worthy.” Prompto said carefully.

“Nonsense, everyone is worthy once they confess their sins and cleanse themselves with the fire.” ‘Shiva’ smied.

Prompto was praying to all the Gods that Noctis was catching this and was getting help.

 

_

 

As soon as Noctis heard their disguise had been compromised, he contacted Ignis, who was waiting in Hammerhead with Aranea. His gut was gnawing with anxiety as he listened to the conversation. Iris had said she was the agent. A tiny part of him felt relief at those words, but he felt insanely guilty because Iris was his friend. That relief was quickly erased when the crazy bitch began talking about burning the sins out of Prompto. He bit at his nails anxiously. Where was Ignis? 

Noctis listened carefully, she was talking to Prompto again. She wanted to get him out of there, he shouldn't see what they were going to have to do to the agent.

Ignis and Aranea climbed into the van. “What’s the situation?”

“Iris has been compromised. I think they're going to torture her.” Noctis said shakily.

Ignis went pale in the face, Iris was his sister in law after all. 

“We need to do something,” Aranea hissed, “We can’t just let her be tortured.”

Ignis was quiet. “Has Prompto been compromised?”

“No,” Noctis replied, “But she said something about cleansing him with fire.”

“C’mon Specs, we need to get in there.” Aranea said.

“What do you propose we do Aranea?” Ignis snapped, his nerves fried. Noctis bit his lip. Ignis never lost his composure, ever. “There’s three of us against too many of them.”

Aranea huffed and sat back in her seat. Ignis was silent as he thought.

“I’ll go in,” Ignis said quietly. “I’ll pretend to negotiate with them whilst you two sneak in and try and rescue Prompto and Iris.”

“That’s not gonna work,” Noctis said, “They have a lot of kids there Ignis. We can't risk them turning on the children.”

“What’s going on?” Ignis asked, gesturing to the headset hanging over Noctis’ shoulders. Noctis fumbled to put the headphones back in and listened, his stomach bottomed out and wave of nausea overcome him at what he heard.

“They’re hurting Iris.” He choked out.

“Right, I’m going in” Aranea said, opening the door with a slam and throwing herself out.

Ignis followed her and grabbed her arm. “Aranea, you can’t. If they see us coming, they’ll use Prompto and Iris as hostages. Then they’ll just hurt the both of them even more.”

“I can warp in,” Noctis suggested, cutting off Aranea as she opened her mouth to argue with Ignis. “If I can get in unseen, I can get Prompto and Iris out of there.” 

“We still need to distract them,” Ignis said, “We need to get them away from Prompto and Iris and all to one area of the compound.”

“A spell?” Aranea suggested.

“That would certainly distract them,” Ignis said, “but if Noct is casting spells, he can’t exactly warp in to get them both.”

“I got it,” Noctis said. “I can warp in Aranea, then warp out again. Then I can go around the front and cast the spell. Then while they’re distracted, Aranea can get Prompto and Iris out of there. She’s a lot better at hand to hand combat than I am if there’s anyone still guarding them. Ignis, you stay on the surveillance equipment and relay to us what’s going on.”

Ignis nodded. “That’s the best plan we’ve got. Stay safe.”

“I swear to all the Gods, if you drop me I will kill you.” Aranea threatened before her and Noctis warped away.

 

_

 

‘Shiva’ had locked Prompto in a room by himself. He had tried to work out how to get out, but the only window in the room was too small for him to squeeze through, and about two inches higher than he could reach by jumping. The door was unlocked, but there was a guard posted outside. He gnawed his lip nervously as he heard Iris screaming from somewhere. 

What were they doing to her? 

Why was he such a coward that he let his friend get tortured? 

Why didn't he just say I’m the agent before Iris did?

“I don’t know who’s listening, but me and Iris are in the house.” Prompto whispered into the microphone hidden in the pocket on his shirt, he had to lift his jumper a little to make sure there was a clear signal. “If you’re gonna do something, do it quick. They're torturing Iris.” He added, choking on sob.

Suddenly, there was explosion that rocked the house. Prompto grabbed onto the wall for support. There was a choking sound the other side of the door before it swung open. Aranea stood there. She was holding a spear, but this wasn’t the practice spear she used with Gladio when they sparred. The end was wickedly sharp and there was blood dripping from it. The man who was guarding the door was on the floor at her feet, his chest had a gaping hole in it.

“Hey Shortcake, you okay?” she said casually, stepping over the body to approach him.

Prompto nodded. “We need to get Iris.” 

Aranea passed him a gun. They started off down the corridor, but there was an angry shout behind them, stopping them in their tracks. They turned in unison. There was about six men racing towards them. “I'll deal with them Blondie, you get Iris.” 

Prompto hesitated but nodded once he saw the sharp look of determination in her eyes. Guilt overcame him as he turned and raced up the stairs away from the grunts of pain, he couldn’t help but feel like he was abandoning another friend. He reached the top of the stairs where he was met with a single door. He took a deep breath before kicking the door by the lock, breaking it down. He raised his gun at the same time and pointed it into the room with a shout of “LBI, freeze!”

Iris was being held up by the man with the glasses from the gate. He held a knife in his other hand, but it wasn’t quiet close enough for Iris to be in immediate danger. Prompto took a moment to survey her injuries, luckily they just seemed to be red welts that would soon turn into nasty bruises. He couldn't see blood.

“So, you lied to us too? Ifrit doesn’t like liars.” He said quietly.

“Please sir, just put her down.” Prompto said, trying to hold his voice steady.

“No.” he said, moving the knife closer to Iris’ throat.

Prompto barely had time to think before he pulled the trigger twice. The man crumpled to the floor, dragging Iris with him.

His ears rang from the sound of the gun as he rushed over to the crumpled bodies. It felt like his heart was in his throat. He slid to his knees as Iris slowly sat up, disorientated. She was covered in blood, but it wasn’t hers. Prompto knew he shouldn’t feel bad about shooting someone, since doing so had ultimately saved Iris but he couldn’t help it. The feeling of guilt that gnawed at his stomach only doubled. He had killed someone.

Iris grabbed the sides of his face with her hands, smearing blood over his freckled cheeks. “Prompto. Hey! Prompto! C’mon, we need to get out of here.” She slapped his cheeks a few times to snap him out of his horrified thoughts as he stared at the puddle of blood surrounding the man.

Prompto cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He nodded numbly and rose to help Iris stand. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet so he kept one arm around her waist and pulled her arm over his shoulder for support. He still held the gun tightly in his other hand, though he wasn’t sure he would be able to use it again.

Aranea caught up with them but Prompto was unable to feel an relief at the sight of her, overcome with guilt and terror that increased tenfold at the words that left her red lips, “We’ve got a problem. Noctis has been shot.”

_

 

Frustration soon joined Prompto’s current mess of emotions. He needed to get to Noctis who was laying in the ambulance, but Ignis had contacted the LBI as soon as Noctis and Aranea had left to infiltrate the compound and a senior team had swiftly been sent out to help deal with the situation and they wouldn’t let Prompto go until he answered all of their questions to their satisfaction back in Insomnia.

The drive back to Insomnia seemed impossibly long. Despite Ignis’ assurances that Noctis wasn’t in a critical condition, he couldn't stop thinking about the fact his boyfriend was shot and in the hospital and he was stuck for two hours talking to some idiots who jumped on the case at the last minute and were going to get all the credit for taking down the cult. 

Prompto barely waited for the nurse to tell them what room Noctis was in before he rushed off. Ignis had gone to see Iris, Prompto suspected it was because that’s where Gladio was and Ignis needed to get comfort from his husband.

When Prompto got to Noctis’ room, he opened the door quietly. A nurse was checking his vitals. “He got out of surgery a little while ago, he should wake up soon.” She told him when Prompto explained that Noctis was his boyfriend.

“Okay, thanks.” Prompto said, suddenly feeling exhausted. He sat down heavily on the chair next to Noctis’ bed.

“Are you hurt?” The nurse asked, indicating to the dried blood on Prompto’s jumper.

It must have came off Iris when he helped her. “Its - uh not mine.” Prompto mumbled. The nurse nodded and left the room. Prompto laced his fingers through Noctis’ and lay his head down on the bed next to him, the resolve that he had held all day finally breaking as he silently cried into the sheets.

 

_

 

When Noctis woke up, his leg was throbbing dully. He felt something in his hand, so he gave it a gentle squeeze and realised it was another hand. He opened his eyes slowly, and saw a tuft of blonde hair at his side.

Prompto was sitting on the chair next to the bed, but was bent over to rest his head on the mattress. Noctis thought he was sleeping until he saw he was shaking slightly and there were soft sniffling noises coming from him. 

Noctis squeezed his hand again, harder this time, and Prompto sat up stiffly. His eyes were red from crying and he had dark circles under them. “Noctis. Oh, thank the God's you're okay.” He whispered hoarsely, squeezing Noctis' hand tighter. Noctis noticed he was covered in dried blood.

“Are you okay?” Noctis asked softly, his throat was sore. “There's blood all over you.”

He nodded slowly, then shook his head, bowing it in silence.

“Hey,” Noctis pressed, squeezing Prompto’s hand comfortingly. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Prompto sniffled but didn’t raise his head. “I shot someone Noct. He died.” Prompto’s voice broke towards the end and choked sob escaped him.

Noctis tried to sit up, but found he couldn't. His body felt weak. “Are you hurt?”

“It's not my blood,” Prompto replied. “When I shot him… his blood got on Iris.” Prompto looked up, meeting Noctis’ concerned gaze.

Noctis squeezed his hand harder, not able to hold him like he wanted to. “It'll be okay.”

Prompto smiled, but it looked strained. “How did you get hurt anyway?” 

“I tried to warp out the way of gunfire but was a little too slow. Got hit in the thigh. No big deal.” He shrugged it off, Prompto opened his mouth to argue when he was interrupted by the door opening. Gladio and Ignis entered hand in hand.

“You two doing okay?” Ignis asked, giving Noctis a once over to survey his injuries. Gladio tense at the sight of the blood staining the front of Prompto’s jumper.

“Is Iris okay?” Prompto asked, ignoring Ignis’ question.

“No lasting damage, she’ll be just fine.” Ignis replied with a tired smile.

Gladio suddenly pulled Prompto up and hugged him tightly. “Iris told me what happened, thank you for saving her.”

Ignis rounded the bed and squeezed Noctis’ shoulder. “You did good today Noct. I'm glad you're okay.”

Noctis and Ignis talked quietly for a while, but when their conversation died down, he noticed that Gladio had removed his hoodie and was offering it to Prompto, leaving his chest bare. “C'mon, you're covered in blood it can't be nice.”

“I can't take your clothes” Prompto said, starting to blush.

“Look, you saved my baby sister's life. You can keep the hoodie, it’s the least I can do to repay you.” Gladio insisted.

“What if you get cold?” Prompto asked.

“Gladio has never been cold a day in his life.” Ignis said dryly.

“Okay.” Prompto said quietly, taking the hoodie from Gladio.

He hesitated for a moment. Prompto was torn between not wanting Gladio and Ignis to see his scars and not wanting to leave Noctis alone. He remembered the way that Noctis held him and kissed his scars, maybe they weren't as bad as Prompto thought. In the end, Prompto decided that Noctis was more important than his body image.

With slightly shaking hands, he pulled off the jumper and started to unbutton the shirt underneath. Ignis and Gladio didn't seem to notice it was unusual that Prompto was getting changed in front of them, but Noctis did. His eyes widened in surprise. 

When his shirt was completely undone and he removed it, Gladio glanced over. He saw the scars on Prompto's stomach, and his brow furrowed in confusion. He opened his mouth, probably to say something, but Ignis grabbed his arm to silence him. Ignis knew a bit of his history from his medical records, but didn’t know the extent of it. His eyes looked sad. Gladio turned to look at Ignis’ and got all his answers from Ignis’ eyes alone. _Don’t_ , his expression read. Gladio nodded solemnly.

Prompto pulled the hoodie on, grateful to be covered up again. He sat next to Noctis, who squeezed his hand.

Ignis started to talk again, to try and make the rooms atmosphere more comfortable. Slowly, Gladio joined in and soon the four of them were engaged in conversation, distracting themselves from the days events. Prompto looked down at his hand in Noctis’ and gave it a squeeze. He felt safe again, in Noctis’ arms he would always be safe.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is A LOT later in the day than usual but I was so busy today it slipped my mind! Sorry guys! - P  
> WARNING self harm mentions

The lack of control that Prompto was feeling is what got to him the most. He hadn't felt that loss of control since he was sixteen, and it was terrifying him. Nothing in his life seemed stable; he was being stalked by a serial killer that he couldn't catch, Noctis had been shot and he didn't seem to be able to do anything right.

Prompto also didn't realise how much he relied on Noctis until he wasn't there. He craved Noctis’ touches and the whispers in his ear. He craved the way that Noctis tells him he's beautiful and perfect. 

He was halfway through changing to go out with Iris and Luna when he got distracted by the letters hidden in his drawer. The most recent was the creepiest. It was a shopping list. A list of all the exact food that Prompto has purchased the week before when he went grocery shopping for Cor, to be specific. It meant he was being followed. His fingers absently traced the scars on his abdomen as he tried to remember seeing anyone following him. He was sure he would have noticed being watched like that, but he clearly didn't.

Prompto's eyes unconsciously searched the room. His gaze landed on the pencil sharpener on his desk. He remembered when he used to take it apart and use the blade on himself. His fingers twitched as the urge hit him a lot stronger than it had for a long time. 

_Just one cut. A tiny cut and you'll feel in control again. Remember how it used to make you feel._

He put an elastic band on his wrist and snapped it a few times to bring himself back. He took a deep, grounding breath and continued to get ready, pushing the dark thoughts to the back of his mind.

When he got to the cafe he was meeting Luna and Iris at, he found Iris already waiting for him. “Morning Prompto.” She greeted with a yawn.

“Morning Iris,” he replied, putting on a false cheery voice. “Is Luna still coming?”

“Yeah, she’s not doing too well with morning sickness so she's a little late.” Iris explained.

“She doesn't need to come, I can pick out my own clothes.” Prompto said.

“When you pick out your clothes you look like a nursery teacher,” Iris said, waving her head in dismissal at Prompto’s offended gasp. “Anyway, we wanted to look at some baby clothes too.”

They fell into an easy routine of chatting about the weather and work related gossip. Iris’ face had mostly recovered from the bruises, they were only noticeable if you really focused on her, but Prompto knew they were there which made them more noticeable to him anyway. She must’ve noticed Prompto’s eyes on her because she said, “Why do we always get into such sticky cases when it’s just the two of us on a case?”

Prompto couldn't help but laugh, thinking back to the time they were assigned to the case at Club Sina. “At least we take turns getting injured.”

“We're so considerate,” Iris giggled. Suddenly, the mood turned more sombre. “You’re doing okay though right, Prompto? Everyone is really worried about you.”

Prompto shrugged halfheartedly.“I'm just really stressed about the serial killer, I guess. He hasn't done anything for a while and I'm starting to get worried, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Prompto admitted, not ready to confess that the guy was also stalking him.

“We'll get him next time for sure.” Iris said confidently.

“I hope there is no next time though.” Prompto said. Luna arrived soon after and his chest lightened a little as she sat in the chair next to them.

“This baby better stop making me puke.” Luna groaned, throwing her head back with a tired exhale. Prompto and Iris laughed at Luna’s complaint. They ordered some food and fell into a comfortable silence as they ate. 

After a few moments of silence that were occasionally filled with Iris’ groans of delight, Luna slammed her drink onto the table with a huff after taking a sip. Prompto looked to her in surprise at her outburst.

“Nyx is being so annoying at the moment, I cannot deny.” Luna said, picking up a piece of taste and taking an aggressive bite.

“Why? What’s he doing?” Iris questioned.

Luna flicked her hand as if swatting away a bug. “Breathing,” Luna with a mouthful of toast. They all laughed at Luna’s words and uncharacteristically rude manners. “Seriously though, everything he does annoys me lately and I feel terrible because I know I’m being unreasonable but everytime I look at him I can’t help but want to wring his neck.” 

Iris gave Luna’s hand a comforting pat. “It’ll get easier, I’m sure of it.”

Luna gave another tired sigh and rest her chin in the palm of her hand. “I hope so.”

“What's Noctis like?” Iris asked, abruptly changing the topic of discussion and turning a little to face Prompto. “I've known him for years and he can be really irritating sometimes but I have no concept of what he'd be like as a boyfriend.”

“Oh I don't find him annoying at all,” Prompto replied, taking a sip of his green tea. “He's really sweet and thoughtful.”

“Gotta say that's a shock,” Luna laughed. “You're so lucky Iris, you don't have to deal with an annoying boyfriend or anything.”

Iris turned a little red and bowed her head with an awkward giggle, which made Luna perk up as she leaned over the table to get a better look at Iris’ flushed expression. She wiggled her eyebrows and Iris’ composure broke with a stifled laugh. “Okay, okay you can't tell Gladdy though. Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.” Luna said quickly, clapping excitedly.

“You shouldn't keep secrets from your brother,” Prompto said. “But I won't say anything.”

“I've kind of got a friends with benefits thing going in with his friend Jesse.” Iris admitted.

“Jesse? The one who works in the Hammerhead garage with Cindy?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, him.” Iris went red again and grabbed, leaning on his arms. “Gladdy would go mad, he doesn't get casual sex. He's only ever been with Ignis and they're so committed to each other it's sickening.”

“I slept with loads of guys before I met Nyx.” Luna said with a laugh, shrugging at the shocked looks Prompto and Iris’ gave her at the confession.

Prompto couldn't help but go red as they both looked at him expectantly. “My first time was with Noctis.” He said.

Iris and Luna both ‘awwed’. “Was he your first kiss too? He was mine.” Luna asked.

“I… uh, kissed people before,” Prompto said. “Like three people.”

“You're so sweet.” Iris gushed.

“I hope he's better at kissing now. When we were twelve, he was terrible.” Luna said.

Prompto laughed. “He's really good at kissing.”

“You seem really good for him Prompto. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy.” Luna said with a soft smile.

“He's good for me too,” Prompto replied. He bit his lip before adding the next part. “I think I love him… but don't tell him that!” Prompto turned even redder with his confession, he hadn’t meant for it to slip but he couldn’t deny his feelings. He nibbled at his bottom lip anxiously and waited for reactions from the girls.

Iris and Luna both shrieked with happiness. “You're so cute!” Iris squealed.

“Let's change the subject,” Prompto said hastily. “Are you hoping for a boy or girl?”

“I want a boy, but Nyx is desperate for a girl.” Luna answered.

“That's normally the other way around,” Iris observed, “Thought of any names?”

“So far we have Selena for a girl and Zayn for a boy,” Luna replied. “If we have a girl she's going to end up being so spoilt by Nyx it’s ridiculous.”

“What makes you think that?” Prompto questioned.

Luna's face softened before she answered. “Nyx had a little sister who he doted on, she was killed when his village was ransacked by Niflheim soldiers. She was called Selena.”

“That's awful.” Prompto said quietly.

“Nyx had a lot of awful stuff happen to him when he was a kid, that's why he joined the bureau. All he wants to do is help people,” Luna said softly. “I know I said he's pissing me off at the moment, but I love him so much. He has a kind heart, and that's why I'm excited to have a kid with him.” Luna sniffled, eyes welling up with tears.

“And on that sappy note, let's get shopping!” Iris said, breaking the emotional atmosphere. Luna and Prompto both laughed. 

They all stacked their played and mugs in the centre of the table so it would be easier for the server to get and then they left.

“Where do you want to go Prompto?” Luna asked.

“I just wanted to buy some new shirts for work.” Prompto said.

Iris grabbed into his arm, a gleeful expression on her face. “Will you let me get you a outfit?”

“Why?” Prompto asked cautiously.

“Remember how good you looked when I dressed you last?” Iris said, “Noct nearly got a boner. C'mon Prom, you'll look so good he won't be able to resist you.”

“It's a bit unfair at the moment Iris, he can't have sex until he gets the all clear from the doctor.” Prompto sighed.

“Save the outfit then, trust me he'll be grateful.”

“Will he though or do you both just want to play dress up?”

Luna and Iris shared a mischievous grin. “Both.”

Firstly, they looked at the baby clothes. Prompto nearly squealed when he saw the chocobo onesie and immediately put it in the basket. “Why don't they have that in adult sizes?” he asked, feeling a little disappointed.

“Because most adults don't want a chocobo onesie?” Iris suggested.

“Nonsense, I would do anything for a chocobo onesie.”

“We know.” Luna laughed, resting her hand on the swell of her stomach.

“You better put your baby in this onesie a lot. I need pictures.” Prompto said.

“Don't worry, I will.” Luna assured him.

They looked at the baby clothes for a while longer, cooing and awwing at the cute designs. Luna and Iris both put some of the generic clothes in their baskets, and Prompto couldn't help but pick up a pack of socks with some baby chocobo’s on, and then moved onto the adults clothes.

They immediately went to the men's section and both of the women started to pile clothes into Prompto's arms.

“Ooh you'd look so good in these.” Iris said, passing him a pair of jeans.

“Are you sure these are the right size?” Prompto asked, eyeing them suspiciously. They seemed really small.

“Yeah Prom, they're skinny jeans. They're supposed to be tight.” Iris replied, looking at him like he was being stupid.

“You've got a great ass Prompto, you should take advantage of it.” Luna said, a glint in her eyes.

“Not to mention those legs. I would kill someone for your legs.” Iris added.

Prompto blushed. He was only used to getting compliments from Noctis. “You shouldn't be saying that Iris, you're a detective.” He joked.

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Now get into those jeans and show us how incredible you look.”

—

Six weeks after he got shot, Noctis got the all clear from the doctor. He could go back to work, didn't have to use the walking stick anymore, could drive again and most importantly, could have sex again. _If_ he was careful.

He was heading to Prompto's house for the weekend again; his dad was away and Prompto was scared to be in the house by himself, which Noctis found cute.

Prompto grinned when he saw Noctis at the door without the walking stick, “You got the all clear then?”

“Yeah.” Noctis replied with a smile of his own before he took Prompto’s outfit in and his smile dropped.

His black skinny jeans were so tight they hugged his muscular legs and gorgeous ass perfectly. There were rips on the thighs, showing pale freckled skin. With that he was wearing the tank top that he wore to Club Sina, and Noctis could safely oogle his muscular arms this time without worrying he would be caught staring.

“What's wrong?” Prompto asked, an innocent smile on his face.

It took Noctis’ brain more than a few minutes to process the words. “You look amazing.” 

“C'mon in then.” Prompto smirked, turning around to walk away.

Noctis all but threw his bag onto the floor and shut the door behind him. He couldn't stop staring at Prompto's ass. 

Prompto turned around with a grin, ”Like what you see?”

Noctis replied by grabbing Prompto and pulling their lips together. The kiss was desperate, almost possessive, full of nips and bruising force. When Noctis grabbed his ass and dragged their bodies together Prompto moaned into his mouth.

He pushed Prompto against the wall and moved his mouth to his neck, licking and biting like his life depended on it. Neither of them cared about any marks that would be left. “Mine.” Noctis whispered everytime his mouth moved to a new spot on Prompto's neck.

“Noct, we need to- ah fuck-” Prompto groaned as Noctis nipped a particularly sensitive bit of skin “-We need to go upstairs.”

Noctis pulled away, eyeing Prompto’s flushed face. Prompto stared back with a lustful gaze and grinned. “C'mon.”

Noctis felt a little shaky as he followed Prompto up the stairs, their fingers entwined. His skin felt like it was on fire. When they got into Prompto's room, Noctis saw the red marks on his neck, already bruising. 

There was nothing more Noctis wanted to do in that moment than to tell Prompto how gorgeous he looked but he couldn't get words out. All his mouth wanted was to be pressed to Prompto's skin.

He shoved Prompto onto the bed and climbed on top of him slowly. Noctis put his hands under Prompto's tank top, feeling the warm skin underneath. He made to take pull it off but Prompto stopped him with a hand. “Please, not today.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Noctis paused.

“No we just… need to leave the shirt on.” Prompto looked away shyly.

“Of course Prom, whatever you need.” Noctis assured him, leaning down to press his lips to Prompto’s neck.

Prompto threaded his fingers through Noctis’ hair and he let out breathy moans and sighs as Noctis sucked on the sensitive skin under his ear.

Noctis undid Prompto jeans and eased them off his hips a little, so he could bite at his hipbone. “Gods, Noct.” Prompto groaned at the sensation.

Noctis sat up, his thigh was twinging uncomfortably but he was too far gone to care. “Is this okay?”

Prompto replied by sitting up, pushing Noctis onto his back and climbing on top. His ass was resting over Noctis' dick and, Gods, Noctis was losing his mind. “Now it is.” Prompto said, voice huskier than normal.

Prompto pinned Noctis’ hands above his head as he started to kiss him. This kiss was slow, teasing, and Noctis couldn't help but buck his hips impatiently into Prompto. He felt Prompto smirk as he whispered, “Be good Noct.”

Noctis groaned and threw his head back. “Prom...” he whined.

“Be still.” Prompto warned.

“What are you gonna do if I move?” Noctis teased.

Prompto replied threateningly. “You better not.” 

He found it very hard to stay still as Prompto slowly removed Noctis’ clothes, and then his own jeans and boxer briefs. Prompto settled back into Noctis’ lap, the curve of his ass against Noctis’ dick, and lent forward to kiss him. 

Noctis heard the sound of the lube opening, but was too distracted by Prompto's mouth to register right away what was going on. He only did when he felt the cold stickiness of the lube dripping onto his stomach. He cracked open an eye and was greeted by the sight of Prompto prepping himself, three fingers in already.

“Don't rush.” Noctis warned him.

“I - ah- started before you got here.” Prompto replied with a gasp as his fingers brushed against a sensitive spot.

Noctis’ dick throbbed at the words. A few moments later, Prompto moved back a bit and took his fingers out. With one hand and his teeth, he opened a condom. He put it on Noctis, ignoring the moans that came from his mouth. He slathered a liberal amount of lube on Noctis’ dick then grabbed Noctis’ hand.

“Hold on.” he said.

Noctis held the base of his own dick, ignoring the urge to relieve himself. Prompto eased himself on a little, gasping and moaning Noctis’ name. When he was halfway, he slid the rest of the way down easily, and Noctis could have came there and then. Seeing Prompto sitting on his cock was a sight to behold. He was flushed to the roots of his hair and down his neck, and Noctis knew it went further. His thighs were trembling.

“Gods Noct you feel so good in me.” Prompto gasped.

“You look so good, I wish you could see yourself.” Noctis replied, putting his hands on Prompto's hips to steady both of them.

Noctis didn't last long at all. He hadn't had sex for weeks and seeing Prompto bouncing on his lap made him come a lot quicker than he would like. Prompto started to get himself off, but Noctis pushed his hand out of the way. “Let me.” he said.

Prompto climbed off and Noctis pushed him down gently. Prompto lay flat on his back and Noctis took his still hard cock in his mouth. Prompto groaned and grabbed Noctis's hair. “Gods, Noct.”

When he came, Prompto shuddered and tightened his grip on Noctis's hair, tugging as he bucked with the waves of his orgasm. Noctis pulled off with a sleepy smile, swallowing Prompto's release. He lay down, his head on Prompto's heaving stomach. Prompto ran his fingers through Noctis’ hair. “I missed this.”

“Me too.” Noctis agreed.

—

They lay together for a while, but Prompto desperately needed to shower. He was sticky from the lube and it was starting to get uncomfortable. “Noct, I need to shower,” he said softly. Noctis made a small noise of complaint before rolling off. “You need to clean yourself up too.”

“Later.” Noctis mumbled, burying his face into the covers. Prompto ran his hand lightly along the scar along Noctis’ back before turning to walk away.

Just before he got in the shower he heard Noctis call out. “Hey Prom, can I use your phone charger? I left mine at home.”

“Yeah it's in the draw by my desk.” Prompto called back.

He pulled off his tank top and turned on the water. After a moment, he realised something. There were two drawers on his desk, one had the phone charger in, one had the case files in.

In a panic, he turned off the water, pulled a hoodie on and wrapped a towel around his waist.

When he got back to his room, Noctis was kneeling by the open drawer shifting through the paperwork. Prompto felt his stomach drop. He was reading the letters.

“Prom, what the actual fuck?”

Prompto didn't know how to answer.

Noctis jumped up, waving the letter at Prompto. “He's literally stalking you. Why didn't you say anything? Don't you realise how dangerous he is?” his voice was dangerously close to a shout.

Tears stung at Prompto's eyes. “I know how dangerous he is Noct. That's why I want to catch him.”

“You don't get it Prom,” Noctis said, putting the letters on the desk. “It's not just about him. It's about burning yourself out by not having a break. You're going to drive yourself crazy, and I don't want to see that happen to you.”

“No Noct, you don't get it,” Prompto replied. “I need to catch him as soon as possible. He's having a break at the moment, but why? He's planning something and I've got a terrible feeling about something awful is going to happen.”

Noctis sighed in frustration, running his hands through his hair. “Prom we all need to work together to catch him. It's why we're a team, so we can share the burden.”

“He's targeting me for a reason.” Prompto argued.

“I don't know why that is Prom, but you need to let us help.” 

Prompto chewed his lip. “I don't want him to target anyone else. I wanted to protect everyone.”

“I want to protect you though.” Noctis said quietly.

“I don't deserve protection,” Prompto said even quieter. “I don't deserve you.”

Prompto sat on the edge of his bed, his chest tight with anxiety. Noctis knelt in front of him, “Why would you say that?”

He shook his head, fighting the tears that were threatening to come out.

“Please Prom, just talk to me.” Noctis pleaded, resting a gentle hand on Prompto’s thigh.

“It's my fault. I spotted the pattern so I should have been able to stop him, but I can't. He's too smart.” Prompto explained. The lump in his throat was painful until it broke.

He started to cry freely, and Noctis pulled him in close. He buried his face in Noctis’ neck and slid into his lap. Noctis wrapped his arms around him even tighter. “It's not your fault Prom. Please don't blame yourself.”

“I just can't do it Noct.” he sobbed.

“You need to tell everyone else about the letters Prom, they scared me and they aren't even to me.”

“I know I do, but I didn't want everyone to freak out over me.” Prompto sniffed. He inhaled deeply a few times to steady himself with the smell of Noctis’ skin.

“Is the stress why you're feeling self conscious at the moment?”

Prompto let out a shaky laugh. “You could tell, huh?”

“Wouldn't be much of a boyfriend or detective of I don't notice,” he relied, rubbing Prompto's back comfortingly. “And you wouldn't let me touch you properly. It would have been kind of stupid if I don't realise.”

Prompto nodded slowly. He pulled his face away from Noctis’ neck. His face was probably blotchy and gross but he found he didn't care that much. “I've just been feeling overwhelmed, and last time I was overwhelmed was when I…”

“Hurt yourself?” He suggested quietly.

Prompto averted his eyes and nodded. “Everytime I see the scars the urge gets stronger. I don't want to do it and the feeling terrifies me. It's the lack of control that gets to me so the thought of controlling something in my life just seems really tempting.”

“Did it make you feel better taking control when we had sex?”

Prompto blushed. “Yeah, a little.”

“Just do that then. I liked you being bossy anyway.” Noctis smirked.

Prompto could feel his blush deepen. “I couldn't do that.” he squeaked.

Noctis laughed and kissed him on the end of the nose. “Yes you could.”

Prompto groaned and buried his face in the crook of Noctis’ neck again. “Maybe sometimes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Amanda for commenting every week, we really appreciate it! - P


	18. Chapter 18

The next Monday, Prompto gathered all the information he had brought home and took it back to the station, with Noctis’ urging. He was nervous to show Ignis the letters he had kept secret, but Noctis had assured him that Ignis wouldn't be angry at him. It made it a little easier.

When they walked in, Prompto headed straight into Ignis’ office. Ignis looked up at him over his glasses. “Good morning Prompto.” he said.

Prompto handed Ignis the stack of letters with a sheepish expression. “I'm sorry, I should have showed you these sooner.”

Ignis didn't say a word as he slowly read through the letters. He was done after long, agonising minutes. He put the letters back in a neat stack and took his glasses off. He carefully folded his glasses and placed them on top of the letters with a heavy exhale. “Why didn't you show me these as soon as you got them?” he asked gently.

Prompto squirmed uncomfortably. “I didn't want everyone to worry about me.”

“Prompto,” Ignis sighed, resting his chin on his steepled fingers, “You do realise that he seems to be fixated on you? He could have seriously harmed you at any given moment, or worse. He could’ve killed you.”

“I wasn't thinking clearly,” Prompto admitted quietly. “I was scared he was gonna target someone else in the team if I told anyone.”

“You should have let me worry about everyone else.” Ignis said.

“I have trouble letting people help me.” Prompto ducked his head guiltily, shielding his eyes from Ignis’ observing gaze.

“I noticed that about you,” Ignis said. He put his glasses back on. “Thank you for telling me about this Prompto. We can add this information to our investigation. Next time he sends you a letter, please bring it in immediately.”

“Of course Ignis. I'm sorry again.” Prompto apologised.

“You don't need to be sorry Prompto, you just need to promise me you'll never put yourself in danger again. I don't want to lose anyone in my team.” 

“I promise.” Prompto said, clasping his hands together by his chest.

“Good,” Ignis said with a satisfied smile. “Now, get to work.”

Prompto eagerly nodded with a smile and walked quickly back to his desk. Noctis sent him a reassuring smile before looking back down at his computer. 

Iris sauntered over and poked Prompto's neck, right in the middle of the bruise Noctis left. “I see those jeans finally came in useful.” Prompto’s cheeks immediately turned red in embarrassment. Aranea joined her and grabbed him by the chin, inspecting the love bites from every angle. 

“I hope you didn't hurt him, asshole.” she said, looking at Prompto but directing the words to Noctis.

“If we should worry about anyone being in pain it should be me. Prom’s very adventurous with his teeth.” Noctis replied, not looking up from his computer.

“Noooct, don't.” Prompto whined, trying to wriggle out of Aranea's grip. She let go and grinned proudly in Noctis’ direction. 

Prompto was saved from further embarrassment by Nyx and Luna bursting in. They had just got in from Luna's latest ultrasound and Nyx was waving the picture around excitedly. “We're having a girl!” He exclaimed. The room erupted in excited cheers of congratulations for the two. Ignis came out of his office at the noise and leaned against the door of his office, arms crossed with a happy grin on his face. 

“Drinks later to celebrate!” Iris shouted.

“I can't drink.” Luna grumbled, jutting out her bottom lip in a pout.

“You and Prompto can have virgin cocktails together. I'm not carrying his drunk ass home this time.” Nyx laughed. Prompto flushed with embarrassment again, remembering the videos and stories from last time they all went out together. Cor had reminded him of all the embarrassing stories for almost a week afterwards.

Ignis spoke up at the mention of alcohol. “Just to remind you that it's a Monday so I don't want you all hungover tomorrow.” He narrowed his eyes at the group.

“You know you can come as well, right Ignis? Bring Gladio too.” Luna said. 

Ignis considered the invite for a second before his expression relaxed, seemingly made on his decision. “I suppose I shall come, someone has to make sure you don’t make complete and utter fools of yourselves.”

_

 

Prompto got home later that day and was pleased to see that his dad was already home. He kissed Noctis a rushed goodbye, jumped out of the car and speed walked to the house. He didn’t realise just how much he had missed his dad until he had returned. “Hey Dad!” he called out, dropping his bag to the floor next to the coat rack.

“Hey Prom!” Cor called back from what Prompto guessed was the kitchen.

Prompto walked through and found his dad pulling something out of the oven. Cookies, he gathered from the mouth watering smell. “How was Lestallum?” Prompto asked, sliding into one of the chairs by the dining table.

“Hot,” Cor replied. Cor put the tray down to cool and turned to face Prompto. “I need to talk to you about something Prom.” he added as he sat down heavily.

“Yeah sure, what’s up?” Prompto questioned.

Cor sighed. “I don't know how to tell you this.” A cold feeling of dread settled in the bottom of Prompto’s stomach at his words as his brain came up with a thousand things that could possibly be wrong. None of them good.

“You're not sick or anything are you?” Prompto asked, starting to panic. His dad had never been so evasive before.

Cor laughed and waved his hand in dismissal. “No it's nothing like that. However, I'm afraid I haven't been completely truthful with you.” 

Prompto thought he felt himself break out into a nervous sweat. “With what?”

“There's another reason I keep going to Lestallum. It's not just to see Dustin.” Cor admitted.

“Are you seeing someone?” Prompto asked, feeling more and more confused by the second.

“No,” he said with another laugh. “Dustin now works with child services in Lestallum. He thinks I could help him with a child that's recently came into their care.”

“Could you?” Prompto’s nerves began to settle. He knew his dad cared deeply about troubled children and did whatever he possibly could to help them, if Cor wanted to adopt another child Prompto would support him wholeheartedly.

“I don't know. He thinks I could because I helped you.” Cor said.

Prompto’s chest swelled with pride. “Dad, if you want to go for it then I think you should.”

“I don't know if I can. I was a lot younger when I found you.” Cor sighed.

Prompto didn’t want to push his dad towards a decision, but he was worrying that he would start to get lonelier now that Prompto was away working a lot and things were getting serious with Noctis. It had been just the two of them for so long. “Remember this time you aren’t alone. I can help you.”

His dad was silent for a long while, his brow furrowed in thought. After a few thoughtful moments, Cor spoke. “I guess you’re going to have a little brother then.” he said with a soft smile.

Prompto couldn’t help but sigh with relief. He knew Cor wanted to do this deep down, and he would regret is decision if he had managed to talk himself out of it. “Tell me about him.”

“His name is Talcott, he’s eight,” Cor replied. “His parents were killed in a car accident and he was being looked after by his grandfather, but he was murdered in a home invasion.”

“Poor kid,” Prompto said quietly. Cor hummed in reply, and stood up to finish the cookies. “Dad, I'm going out with the guys from work in a bit. We’re celebrating.”

“What are you celebrating?” Cor asked, separating the cookies from the tray and putting them on a plate.

“Luna and Nyx found out they're having a baby girl.” Prompto said.

“That’s nice. Make sure you don’t get too drunk, you do have work tomorrow.” Cor said, though a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Trust me dad, I don’t want to get drunk.” Prompto assured him with a laugh.

_

Prompto had zero intentions of drinking and he honestly thought the rest of them wouldn’t even let him, but by the time he got to the bar, everyone else was there and when he sat down, Noctis pushed a cocktail glass towards him. “Don’t drink it fast, I don’t want you to be too drunk to walk.”

Prompto smiled and took a small sip. The drink was so sweet he could barely taste the alcohol. “This is really nice.”

Luna was drinking the same drink, but without the alcohol. “It's really sweet, isn’t it?” Prompto hummed in agreement and took another sip. Hours passed full of fun banter between the group, Gladio often teasing Nyx about his future as a father. Later on in the night, Jesse appeared and approached their table. Prompto saw Ignis sigh with annoyance out the corner of his eye. 

“Hey Jesse!” Gladio said loudly, the vodka and coke in the glass he was holding sloshing dangerously close to the top. As Gladio didn’t have to work the next day, he was drinking a lot faster than the rest of them, and it was showing. “Come and sit with us.”

Jesse smiled and slid in next to Iris. Prompto raised an eyebrow at her in knowing and she hid her reddening face behind her glass. “What are we celebrating guys?” Jesse asked.

“We’re having a baby girl.” Nyx said with a grin.

“That’s great news, I’ll get the next round!” Jesse quickly jumped back up and headed to the bar to order a round of drinks for them all.

Three rounds later, Prompto was starting to feel tipsy. Aranea had encouraged him to try shots, and the alcohol was beginning to get to his head. He shouldn't have mixed his drinks but it was too late now. Jesse was talking to him and Prompto leaned forwards to try and hear him better as the music at the bar was loud when Noctis wrapped an arm around his waist possessively and pulled him into a kiss. Prompto barely noticed that Noctis was glaring at Jesse as he did it, too wrapped him in the feeling of Noctis’ lips against his own.

“Gods Noct, not in public.” Aranea groaned at the sight.

“I don’t mind.” Prompto said, patting Noctis on the cheek affectionately. 

Noctis turned to smile triumphantly in Jesse’s direction, but the man had already left. Prompto noticed that Iris has disappeared too, but the buzz of alcohol in his brain didn’t seem to think it was a problem so he couldn't be bothered to care. “I'm gonna go and get more drinks.” Prompto said, his words slurring a little.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ignis asked, sending him a warning with his eyes.

“I’m fine.” Prompto insisted, he banged into the table a little as he got up, spilling a few of the drinks across the already sticky table.

“Do you need help?” Noctis asked, getting up with him.

He was going to argue that he was fine, but he noticed the way Noctis was looking at him and got the idea. “Sure.”

Noctis laced his fingers with Prompto’s as they walked towards the bar. Prompto managed to get the order in before Noctis pushed him against the bar and kissed him fiercely. The whiskey that Noctis drank burned Prompto’s tongue. After a moment, Noctis pulled away and scrunched his nose up in distaste. “I need to piss.” 

Prompto chuckled and smiled at him as Noctis stumbled in the direction of the bathroom. With a happy sigh, Prompto sat on a stool and waited for the bartender to be done with his order. He sat for a few moments, bobbing his head to the beat of the music and watching the bartenders rush around with bottles of various drinks when a voice from beside startled him. ”What are you all celebrating this evening?” The voice was deep and melodic so Prompto thought it must be a man trying to hit on him. He sighed as he turned to face the man and frowned when he couldn’t see the mans face. He had a hood pulled up and it covered most of his face, the darkness of the bar didn’t help Prompto catch a clearer glance.he 

“Our friend is having a baby girl.” He replied, unnerved but not wanting to appear rude and anger the mysterious man,

“That’s just wonderful news. Let me pay for this round.” The man said, pulling money out of his wallet.

“It’s fine - “ Prompto tried to argue.

“Dear boy, I insist.” he said, lowering his voice almost threateningly. 

“Oh, well then.. Thanks.” Prompto said.

“No problem,” the man said, handing the bartender the money. “I hope you enjoy the rest of the night Prompto.” he said as he walked off. Prompto quickly sobered up with shock, how did he know his name?

Noctis slid in next to him. “Hey, you okay?”

“That man knew my name.” Prompto said quietly, straining his eyes to see where the man had gone.

“What man?” Noctis asked.

“There was a man here a second ago, he said my name”

“We better tell Specs,” Noctis said looking around.

Prompto picked up the tray and walked over to the table, his gut knotting with anxiety. They sat down after weaving their way through the crowd back to their table and Noctis said, “Wait a second, I forgot to tell you, there was people fucking in the bathroom. The noise was unbelievable.”

“That’s so unhygenic.” Ignis said with a sniff, grabbing a glass off the tray. Noctis’ announcement shoved the thoughts of telling Ignis the strange man out of Prompto’s brain. Instead, he sat there staring at the table anxiously as everyone gossiped about the couple in the toilets.

Gladio was staring in the direction of the bathroom’s with a frown on his face. “Iris and Jesse just came out of the men’s toilets.”

Noctis sniggered and gulped down a bit of his drink. “We can all guess what happened there then.”

“Gods no,” Gladio said, half a groan and half a wail. “My baby sister would never do that!”

When Jesse and Iris got closer and the disheveled state of them became clearer, Gladio leaped out of his chair and nearly knocked the table over. “What’s going on dude?” Jesse asked, looking confused as Gladio angrily approached him.

“I thought we were friends!”

“So did I?” Jesse said, it almost sounding like a question.

“You were having sex, with my baby sister, in a dirty toilet!” Gladio snarled. Both Iris’ and Jesse’s faces flushed red as the table laughed and hollered.

_

The next day in work, Prompto was feeling a little worse for wear. He had a mild headache and was pretty tired, but it was nothing some strong coffee wouldn’t cure. He had left the bar with Noctis before Gladio had finished shouting at Jesse and Iris, but everyone else had stayed to watch the show.

When he got in, Iris was laying facedown on her desk. “You okay?” he asked.

“No,” she groaned. “Gladdy didn’t stop shouting at us for a whole hour.”

“It was hilarious,” Aranea piped up unhelpfully. “I’ve never seen anyone get so angry.”

“I don’t think he's ever going to speak to Jesse again.” Iris said, not lifting her head from the desk.

“He was pretty drunk, he may have forgotten.” Prompto said.

“I doubt it.” Aranea cackled. Iris groaned at her laughter and squeezed her arms tighter over her head, as if it would shield her from the shame. Prompto was too distracted by an envelope that was placed carefully on his desk to try and comfort the girl again. The front of the envelope was blank with no name scrawled across the front so whoever placed it there must have known about the contents inside to know that it was meant for him. He hoped he was wrong about his suspicions, maybe one of the crew had placed it there. He gingerly opened it and tipped out the contents onto his desk. Photos spilled out haphazardly, along with a note. Prompto’s blood went cold. These photos were taken last night. Frantically, he picked up the note.

_It was lovely to meet you in person last night. Hope you all enjoyed the drinks._

Prompt fell back into his chair with a loud thump, catching the attention of the others.. It was him. The killer. And Prompto was inches from him last night. He’d even spoken to him. Noticing Prompto’s pale, stricken face, Noctis approached to ask what was wrong, but Prompto wordlessly handed him the note without looking away from the photos sprawled across his desk. “Wha-” Noctis started before he saw the pictures. “Fuck.” 

“That’s why he knew my name.” Prompto whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last update before Christmas so we hope everyone has a great holiday!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for self harm mentions  
> for gore

It was strange having another person in the house after years of it being just Prompto and Cor, even if it had been a month. Talcott was small for an eight year old, and he was very quiet. Prompto had spent the day that Cor was collecting him from Lestallum making up his bedroom. Dustin had said the boy was fond of cactuars and Prompto and Cor had gone all out buying everything cactuar related that they could find. The boy was delighted with his new bedroom which Prompto had painstakingly organised. He was happy the kid had a second chance.   
_

No one was surprised when Luna and Nyx didn't come into work one morning, Luna was due to have her baby any day now and they all assumed that they were in the hospital. There was an excited chatter throughout the office as they speculated how long Luna had been in labour and when they'd get the call from Nyx. What no one was expecting, however, was for Nyx to rush in looking uncharacteristically disheveled.

Ignis immediately noticed there was a problem. “Nyx, has something happened?” he asked.

Nyx looked around for a moment, appearing dazed before he answered. “I can't find Luna.” he said.

“What do you mean you can't find Luna?” Iris asked, looking panicked.

“I was working late in the office and when I got home she wasn't there. I thought maybe she’d popped to the store so I tried to call her but her phone isn't on. It’s always on. Please say one of you know where she is.” He quickly looked around the room but they all mutely shook their heads. Nyx collapsed on a chair, burying his face in his hands with a choked sob. “I don't know what to do.”

“Well we should put out a missing persons report!” Iris cried.

“We can't, she hasn't been missing for twenty four hours.” Ignis said quietly.

“The baby is due any minute, we can't just wait around.” Nyx replied. He stood up and anxiously ran his fingers through his hair as he paced.

Prompto had a sinking feeling in his gut. The killer knew Luna was pregnant, he had brought them drinks to celebrate the fact she was having a girl. There was also the fact that Luna would fit his victim type. Noctis shot Prompto a worried look, following the same train of thought. 

“What can we do Specs?” Aranea asked.

“Let’s try phoning all the local hospitals,” Ignis suggested. “She might have gone into labour in public and someone could have phoned an ambulance.”

It was a weak suggestion, but it was the only idea they had, so they all got to it. After half an hour, it was obvious that it was a dead end, none of the hospitals had anyone admitted that fitted Luna’s description.

Nyx had chewed his fingernails into bloody stumps. “I knew I should have stayed home yesterday.”

Ignis patted his shoulder reassuringly. “There's no point dwelling on the past. We can only do our best to find her now.”

“Iggy, what if something's happened to her?” he asked quietly.

“I'm sure she's fine.” Ignis said. The door opened and Libertus entered, holding a thick envelope in his hands. Prompto was sure his heart had stopped beating. 

“Hey Nyx, someone left this at the front desk for you.” Libertus said, holding out the envelope to Nyx.

Nyx snatched the envelope out of Libertus’ hands and ripped it open. He scanned the first page quickly, then skipped through the rest of the pages. “Gods no.” he whispered, dropping the papers.

Prompto bent down and picked up a few of them. They were pictures of Luna. The photos were grainy and dark, but there was no mistaking her. She had a cloth tied around her mouth and her hands were bound in front of her. Prompto picked up the dropped letter with shaking hands.

_She really is quite beautiful Ulric. I can see why you love her. It's a shame really you won't be getting her back intact. Don't worry, I'll keep your little one safe until you can retrieve her._

Prompto held back a sob and passed the letter to Noctis with shaking hands. Everyone gathered around to look at the letter and gasps filled the room as they read the ominous words. They needed to find Luna, and fast.

—

The next two days were chaos. They all worked around the clock without sleep trying to find Luna. Nyx had eventually gone home about two hours ago after Ignis nearly shoved him out of the door. He was distracted and his anxious behaviour was putting other people off. It seemed harsh, but they all needed to concentrate.

A few hours passed of focused silence when the sound of a baby crying made them all stop working. They looked at each other in confusion for a moments before the door opened and Nyx entered holding a baby carrier, a newborn baby swaddled in a pink blanket lay wailing inside. Nyx’s skin was drained of colour and his eyes were emotionless, he seemed to be swaying where he stood. “I found her on our doorstep.” he croaked. 

Ignis nearly tripped over in his haste to get to Nyx. He gently pried the carrier from his hands. “Nyx, this doesn't necessarily mean it's yours and Luna’s baby. He could have gotten a child from anywhere to taunt us.”

“It's Selena, I know it is,” Nyx said, his voice cracking. “Gods, where's Luna?”

Ignis eased Nyx into his office to give him some peace and privacy as the man began to sob brokenly. Once Nyx was settled Ignis quickly arranged for Crowe to come up and take a few swatches for a paternity test. Ignis tried to maintain hope in finding Luna but with the undeniable resemblance of Luna in Selena’s features, he knew it was more than likely that this child was indeed Nyx’s. 

Two days later, Nyx was sat in his own office holding the baby, who was blessedly silent, tightly when Crowe got back from the lab with the test results. She joined Nyx and Iris in the office and looked at Nyx sadly. She took a deep breath. “She is Nyx's baby.” she said quietly. Nyx's grip tightened and Iris covered her mouth, gasping.

In the other room Ignis came out of his office, looking harried. “Prompto, Noctis,” he began. “Come with me. The rest of you stay here.”

The two quickly stood and gathered their things before meeting Ignis in the car. Ignis was sat inside quietly, gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white. “They think they’ve found Luna.”

Prompto inhaled sharply. “We should tell Nyx.” he said.

“No,” Ignis bit. “Not until we know for sure. I don't want to upset him unnecessarily.”

“Upset him? Does that mean…” Noctis trailed off.

“Yes. They've found a body of a blonde woman.”

—

Prompto was still in shock when they got back to the station later that day. Even if deep down they knew that Nyx having the baby in his arms meant it was unlikely that Luna was alive, it was still a shock to see her mutilated and gruesomely displayed like the other victims before her. What was different this time was the DVD that had been carefully placed upon her chest. The last thing Prompto wanted to do was watch the video, but it had to be done.

When they returned to the office Nyx approached them, face white and coated in a thin layer of sweat. “Have you found her?” he gasped out. 

No one could answer. Nyx looked from Ignis’ expressionless face, to Noctis and Prompto’s red rimmed eyes and a feeling of dread settled in his stomach. “Gods no…” he whispered.

“We're so sorry Nyx.” Ignis said quietly. Nyx fell back into an empty chair and stared blankly at the empty wall ahead. Noctis joined Ignis next to Nyx and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

Prompto took two steps towards him but Nyx shot out of the chair like a rocket. “Don't you fucking dare come near me.” Nyx growled.

Prompto stopped, shocked and confused at Nyx’s reaction. “What?”

“This is your fault,” Nyx hissed. Prompto staggered back, the words hitting him like a sledgehammer to the chest. “You just had to try and make your mark, and it got us noticed. We all know he's after you but you were more than happy to let Luna get killed if it saved your pathetic hide.”

“Nyx that's out of order,” Ignis said, standing between the both of them. “Prompto was just doing his job, none of this is his fault.”

“It should have been you. Gods know I wish it was!” Nyx shouted at Prompto over Ignis’ shoulder.

Noctis lunged forward and punched Nyx as soon as the words left his mouth. “How dare you fucking say that!” he snarled, punctuating each word with a punch.

Ignis dragged him off Nyx and pushed him back before turning to survey the damage that Noctis had done. “Nyx, go home.” Ignis sighed. Nyx’s face scrunched up in an angry scowl before turning back to his office to gather Selena.

Noctis and Ignis both turned to Prompto, who had been standing there with silent tears streaming down his cheeks the entire time. “He’s right,” he said. “It should’ve been me.”

“Prompto no,” Noctis gasped, grabbing Prompto’s shoulders and squeezing tightly. “Don't say that.” 

Ignis unexpectedly pulled Prompto into a bone crushing hug. “He's just upset and lashing out. This is no way your fault Prompto.”

Prompto wanted to disagree, he knew it was, but there was no way that Noctis and Ignis would accept that, so he just kept quiet.

“We need to watch the DVD.” Prompto quietly said.

“I'll watch it, you both shouldn't have to see it.” Ignis said gently, pulling away from Prompto.

Prompto shook his head. “I need to. It's my case.”

“There's no way I'm letting you do this alone Prompto.” Noctis said, pulling him into his side. 

“We’ll do this together.” Ignis smiled.

—

_The recording was dark. There was a spotlight above a chair that looked like one you would typically find at a dentist. The camera was directly facing it. A man walked into the frame, dragging a woman behind him. The woman was doubled over in pain but was struggling to try and get away. The three men watching knew it was Luna._

_“Get off me you creep!” The woman yelled, trying to pull her arm out of his tight grip._

_He laughed and shoved her down to the floor roughly. He must have been a lot stronger than he looked because he held her down with one arm whilst he tied her arms into place with the other. She screamed in frustration and tugged at her bonds._

_“Calm down please dear, you're making this a lot harder than it needs to be.” he said, his voice a deep purr. He walked off screen for a moment, then returned holding a sharp knife, the blade glinting in the spotlight._

_“I hope you die, you bitch!” Luna spat viciously. “They'll find you and you'll be sorry!”_

_He chuckled. “Darling, it'll be way too late for you then.”_

_He teased her with the tip of the knife as he spoke, tracing it lightly over her face. “I have so many plans for you my dear.”_

_Luna's expression changed from one of pure rage to fear. “What are you going to do?” she asked._

_“Well first, we have to get this baby out of the way. I wouldn't hurt an innocent child,” he chuckled, tapping on her swollen stomach with the knife. “Then I'll make you look beautiful.” Luna whimpered at his words._

_With a surprising tenderness, he cut her clothes away from her body until she was left stark naked. Luna shuddered. Even from the fuzzy picture they could see the tears soaking her face as she gasped through her choked sobs._

_He gently stroked her face and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the forehead, before slowly edging the knife into her stomach. Luna screeched, an ear splitting sound that made the three viewers flinch. Carefully, the man dragged the knife across her stomach. “Do try to keep still dear.” the man scolded. “I don’t want to slip and accidentally cut the little thing.”_

_Luna stilled and her screams fell silent, all that could be heard was the the gasping sobs that escaped her mouth._

_He blocked the camera for a moment as he leaned over her. He lifted something from her body, and the sound of a crying baby drowned out the sound of her sobs._

_“How delightful, a baby girl,” he said mockingly. Luna was weakly trying to grab the baby, failing as her arms were still restrained. Noticing her struggles, he untied her arms and placed the child on her breast. “What a beautiful family you make.”_

_“Please don't kill me,” Luna begged, weakly reaching up to hold the baby that lay on her chest.. “She needs me.”_

_The man cocked his head to the side and let out a loud laugh. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, but don’t worry my dear. She'll still have daddy dearest, and your precious little friends.”_

_The man walked slowly behind Luna and placed the knife to her neck. “Any last words?” he asked._

_“Please, don’t.” Luna said quietly._

_“Nothing?” He laughed, pressing the knife harder against her neck. “Nothing for your lovely boyfriend who'll have to raise the bastard alone? Nothing for your brother who lost his best friend and will now lose his sister? Nothing for dear Prompto who should be here instead of you?”_

_Luna was silent for a moment. It seemed like her wounds had taken their toll as her head lolled to the side and hung there limply, but she stirred to life again. “Nyx, you need to look after Selena, she'll look after you too. I love you both so much. Ask Ravus for help, he'll need you as much as you need him. And Prompto sweetie, don’t listen to him, this isn't your fault. He's just a sick fuck-”_

_She stopped talking as he suddenly jerked the knife across her throat. She let out a choked gargle and fell limp. The baby started to wail again as her mother’s blood washed over her._

_The man picked up Selena and turned to face the camera. His face was obscured by the shadow of the large hat that must’ve been strategically placed on his head. “Better get this little one clean and ready for daddy. I hope you enjoyed my little video. Say bye bye now.” He waved the babies hand at the screen then reached forward and turned the camera off. The screen turned to black._

—

When Prompto returned home that evening, he ignored his father's calls and ran straight upstairs to his room. He was still in shock. Nyx was right. This was his fault. All his fault. Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut? He should’ve never have gone into this line of work. Never should have accepted the job at LBI, all he’s done has get people killed.

He slammed the bedroom door and locked it tightly behind him, collapsing to the floor as he seemed to forget how to breathe. He gasped and trembled as he struggled to pull enough air into his burning lungs.

_My fault._

_My fault._

_My fault._

His eyes fell onto the sharpener again.

_I deserve it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for doing that - P


	20. Chapter 20

The next week passed like a blur for Noctis, he had known Luna for almost his entire life and now she suddenly wasn’t there anymore. It felt like a piece of him was missing. Whenever something happened in his life, he would always pick up the phone to talk to her about it, even after her death he still found himself picking up his phone to text her and it wouldn’t be until he would get a notice stating that his message had not been delivered that he’d realise and a fresh wave of grief would hit him in the chest. It was almost ironic the more that he thought about it, Luna was the one person who always knew what to do and how to make him feel better whenever he was feeling down but now it was the loss of her that was what was getting him down, she couldn’t fix that. He could talk to Prompto, but the blonde had gotten a little distant lately. Not just from Noctis but from everyone, Gladio and Aranea were missing their gym partner and Iris was missing her coffee break companion. Noctis knew that it was a result of what Nyx had said to him. If it wasn’t for Ignis and Gladio being there that day to help break it up, Prompto would have fallen apart completely.

Noctis was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the door to the office opening, disturbing that suffocating silence of the room. He was shocked when he looked up to see Nyx. He didn’t have Selena with him which meant that she was more than likely with Ravus for the day. The two had gotten closer after Luna’s death, holding each other up and supporting each other through the death of someone that they both loved dearly. As unhappy with Nyx that Noctis was, he wouldn’t spite Luna’s child so he had gone to visit the two a few times and whenever he did Ravus was always there. 

Nyx looked exhausted. “I just - uh… I wanted everyone to know that Luna’s funeral will be held on Friday at 10 o’clock.” he said. 

Ignis gently approached him. “Is there anything you need us to do to help?” he asked.

“Ravus helped me with the arrangements,” Nyx mumbled. “I also need Noct, Iris and you, Iggy to carry the casket.”

“Of course Nyx, anything you need.” Ignis said reassuringly, patting his shoulder gently. 

Aranea and Iris joined Ignis and they all spoke quietly between themselves. Noctis looked around and saw Prompto was still at his desk, awkwardly looking at the scene before him. Noctis slowly walked over to join him at his desk. “You can go over there you know.”

“I don't think he wants to see me right now, or ever.” Prompto replied in a quiet voice.

Noctis glanced over at Nyx, who did seem to be purposefully keeping his eyes from Prompto’s direction. “C’mon, I’ll come with you.”

Prompto shook his head rapidly. “No, Noctis it’s fine, I don’t really want to.”

Noctis had to almost drag Prompto over to Nyx and the others, but Prompto managed to wriggle himself out of Noctis’ grip on his wrist before he got too close to Nyx. Noctis turned to pull him closer to the small circle but he paused when he saw the expression on Prompto’s face. Prompto was nervously chewing on his lower lip and his eyes had widened with fear. Noctis was confused as to why Prompto looked so scared and as he began to turn around to see what Prompto was looking at, he was almost knocked off his feet as someone pushed passed him in a blur. 

He turned back around just in time to see Nyx take Prompto down with a fist to the face. Nyx pinned Prompto down once the blonde hit the floor and began repeatedly punching him in the face. The sound the hits made were sickening. Noctis rushed over and grabbed Nyx by the back of his shirt and tried yank him off, but he was determined to get a few more hits in and Noctis had to grit his teeth in effort. Luckily, Gladio chose this moment to enter the room and he quickly jumped in to help Noctis haul Nyx off of an eerily silent Prompto.

Gladio had to hold Nyx’s arms behind his back to restrain him and stop him from launching himself at Prompto once more. Aranea was helping Prompto up off the floor when she turned to shoot a glare at Nyx. “That was out of order Nyx and you know it!” she snapped as she surveyed the damage to Prompto’s face. A purple bruise was already forming on his cheekbone and blood was slowly dripping from his nose. 

“I’m so sorry Nyx,” Prompto sniffled. Noctis could hear the pain in his voice. “If I could fix it and replace her I would.” Noctis heart broke a little at his words. 

Nyx, however, was unphased as he looked straight at Noctis with pure hatred simmering in his eyes. “How can you be okay with seeing him? You knew Luna longer than any one of us in this room and this fucker went and got her killed!” he yelled. 

“Luna’s death is not Prompto’s fault,” Noctis said, shoving past Gladio to get closer to Nyx. “The only reason I'm not beating your ass right now is because of Luna, but if you try to pull this shit again then I promise you that you will regret it.”

“The only reason you’re saying that is because he's easy in bed and apparently your dick is more important than Luna.” Nyx countered. 

Noctis opened his mouth to argue but Ignis interrupted them. “Nyx, do you need me to drive you home?” Ignis said pointedly. Nyx was silent for a few moments as he glanced at the faces dotted around and seemed to be weighing up his odd before his eyes fell back to Ignis and he gave a defeated nod.

Once Nyx had left behind Ignis everyone seemed to take a deep breath of relief. Noctis quickly approached Prompto who was still stood in the same spot with silent tears streaming down his cheeks. “Hey, you okay?” Noctis asked. 

Prompto slowly raised his eyes to meet Noctis’ and let out a slightly hysterical laugh that unnerved everyone when he made eye contact. “I told you. I told you he didn’t want to see me.

—

The last thing Prompto wanted to do was go to the funeral, but he had to. For Luna. She was his friend and he wanted to say goodbye properly. Prompto’s face was still hurting where Nyx had struck him and Iris had tried her best to cover the bruises that were scattered across his face with makeup, but the dark one coating his cheekbone was still pretty noticeable. Prompto thought he deserved though and every twinge of pain that he felt was a reminder what he had done. Cor had left Talcott at home with Dustin who had come out to look after the young boy so Cor could be there to support Prompto. It had taken a while to convince Talcott that Dustin’s presence did not mean that he was being sent back to Lestallum, it made the already dull atmosphere of the day feel even more sadder.

Prompto had wanted to sit towards the back of the church during the funeral, but Noctis had lead him to the front, but on the opposite side of the room to Nyx. Prompto squeezed his hand in reassurance. The casket was closed. It was a grim reminder of the state that Luna had passed in. The mortician hadn’t been able to make her body look any less gruesome. 

Prompto didn’t listen to the speech that the priest was giving at all. He blanked out all his thoughts and just concentrated on the feeling of Noctis’ hand in his. 

Prompto did listen though when Nyx stood up to give an eulogy. He stared at the paper he had written it on intensely, like if he looked up at the faces in the pews he would break to a million pieces. “I first came to Insomnia eight years ago. I was lost, confused and broken. My hometown in Galahd had been destroyed, killing my sister and leaving my mother in a care facility. I didn’t have any light left in my life and my future looked dark, then I met Luna. She pulled me out from the darkness with her light and made me feel alive again. I didn’t think anything could be better than being with her, until she fell pregnant. I wouldn’t call it an accident, rather a surprise. The most welcome surprise that we could have ever received. There was nothing in the world I wanted more than to raise a family with Luna, but the Gods took her from me and Selena. Our dear Selena. I was going to ask Luna to marry me once Selena was born, but I was too late. I hope wherever Luna is in the beyond that she knows and feels the love both Selena and I feel for her. I hope she knows that I love her with every fiber of my being. I always will. Our daughter will grow up knowing about her mother; about how she was kind and selfless and how she shone brighter than the sun. I’m so thankful to everyone today, it truly shows how Luna touched the lives of everyone she met and how loved by everyone she gave a little of her light to. I will never… never love anyone the way I love you, Luna.”

The church was silent for a while as everyone took in Nyx’s words with a heavy heart. Sniffles and hiccups echoed throughout as Noctis, Iris, Ignis, Ravus and a woman that Prompto didn’t recognise rose to carry Luna to her final resting place. As everyone else slowly followed behind, Cor wrapped a comforting arm around Prompto’s shoulders and Aranea who was on the other side of him gripped his hand tightly and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

When the coffin was lowered into the ground, those closest to Luna lined up and threw sylleblossoms, Luna’s favourite flower, onto the coffin. 

—

Afterwards, they went back to Nyx’s apartment for a small wake. Nyx sat in the corner quietly, holding Selena. Ravus flitted around, trying to keep busy. Prompto was clutching his glass of wine that was still full nervously to his chest as his dad chatted to Cindy about cars or something. The woman he didn’t recognise from earlier approached Prompto with a gentle smile gracing her features. She was pale with striking green eyes and straight, jet black hair and rosy lips. “Hello. I’m Gentiana, Luna’s aunt.”

“I’m Prompto.” he replied awkwardly.

Gentiana smiled and Prompto found himself relaxing slightly. “Oh so you’re the famed Prompto Argentum. Luna spoke very highly of you. You’re the youngest person in the LBI, if I am correct?”

The corner of Prompto’s lips quirked up in a small smile. “Yes, that’s me.” he said.

Her smile softened. “Luna was very fond of you. Give Nyx time, he needs to process this.”

Prompto felt his chest tighten. “Thank you.”

Ravus hushed everyone suddenly and the room fell silent. Gentiana put her finger to her lips, her smile not once leaving her face. “Noctis wanted to say a few words.” Ravus announced.

Noctis looked uncomfortable and awkward as he stood up to speak. “I met Luna when we were just kids. She was my first, and consequently, only girlfriend,” A few people chuckled. “When I was struggling with my sexuality, Luna helped me to understand, and she held no grudges or prejudices. If I was ever struggling with anything, Luna would drop almost everything to help me. She always knew exactly what to say or do to make any bad situation better. I'm going to miss her more than words can say but I’ll remember her everytime I see kindness in the world, as she was kindness, love and sunshine personified.”

Noctis finished his speech and everyone raised their glasses with a cheer. “To Luna.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry for the delay in posting! i’m going through some things right now and i’m struggling with doing my part in the writing, plus after christmas and the new year i didn’t even realise what day it was so i didn’t want to rush a chapter out since you guys deserve better than that! thanks for being so patient and understanding xoxo – L


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for self harm mentions

Noctis was worried about Prompto. He had become increasingly distant ever since Luna's funeral. When he stopped answering Noctis’ texts completely, he had enough. He knocked on the front door of the house Prompto shared with his dad and Talcott impatiently. It was late but Noctis had to find out what was wrong.

Cor answered, looking uncharacteristically tired. “Hello Noctis.” he sighed.

“Hey Cor, is Prompto around?” Noctis asked.

“Yeah he's in his room. Make sure you keep it down, Talcott is sleeping.” Cor opened the door wider to let Noctis inside.

“Yeah sure, sorry about disturbing you. I'm just worried about Prompto.” Noctis explained.

Cor patted his shoulder sympathetically. “You and me both.”

The house had an unusually sombre atmosphere. Noctis took care to be extra quiet as to not disturb a sleeping Talcott. When he was outside Prompto's door, he knocked softly. “Prompto it's me, let me in.” he whispered.

There was silence for a few heartbeats. “I'd rather be alone right now Noct.” Prompto finally answered.

“Prompto please, I'm worried about you. I just want to talk.” Noctis pleaded.

More silence followed before Prompto responded. “Give me a minute.”

Noctis rolled his eyes but waited quietly. A few minutes later, Prompto opened his bedroom door. His normally perfectly styled hair was disheveled and his clothes were creased. This was nothing like Prompto normally looked. “C'mon in then.” he muttered, voice hoarse.

Noctis heard the door click shut behind him as he surveyed the room. There were dirty clothes in the floor and, even more worryingly, empty liquor bottles strewn across the room. One of the pencil sharpeners on his desk was missing the blade, and Noctis knew that was Prompto’s preferred method of hurting himself when he did. Anxiety clawed at his gut. “Prom, what's going on?” Prompto didn't answer, instead averting his eyes from Noctis as he sat on the edge of his bed. Noctis sighed and sat next to him. “Prom, please talk to me.” Noctis said softly, putting his hand gently on Prompto's knee.

Prompto flinched away from Noctis’ touch and curled in on himself. “Noct, I just want to be left alone.” he said.

Noctis knew what he was about to do was cruel, but he needed to know. He grabbed Prompto’s wrist and gave it a tight squeeze. He didn’t move. It was the the legs then. With a deep breath, he touched Prompto's thigh. He flinched away. “Please Noct, I don't want to be touched right now.” Prompto cried.

“Prom, why aren't you letting me touch your legs? You normally love it when I do that.” Noctis pressed.

The panic on Prompto's face said everything Noctis needed to know. “I - uh…” he stammered.

“Show me.” Noctis demanded, levelling Prompto with a stern glare.

Prompto stiffened. “No.”

Noctis narrowed his eyes. “Prom what have you done?”

Prompto’s eyes scanned the room, looking for escape, but Noct was between him and the door and there was no way he could explain jumping from the window. “No-nothing.”

“If you've done nothing, then you can show me.” Noctis said pointedly.

Prompto quickly got up, trying to make a break for the door, but Noctis grabbed him around the middle and dragged him back onto the bed. After some struggling, Noctis managed to pin him down by sitting on his stomach. Prompto may have been strong, but Noctis had his weight and years of training on his side. “Please Noct!” Prompto begged.

“I need to see Prom.” Noctis explained, gritting his teeth with the effort to keep Prompto pinned down.

He couldn't see Prompto's face because his back was to it, but he felt him start to sob. “Please Noct. Don't!” Prompto repeatedly hit Noctis on the back in attempt to get him to stop.

It was hard for Noctis to undo Prompto's jeans, he was wriggling like a fish out of water. It was even harder to pull them down, and not just from the wriggling. Noctis took a resounding breath before he looked. Just as he suspected; Prompto's thighs were covered in a array of fresh cuts. He climbed off and sat down heavily next to Prompto, who scrabbled to pull his jeans back up. Noctis looked at his boyfriends tear stained face. “You promised you wouldn't do this again.” he whispered.

“I had to.” Prompto hiccuped, rubbing his face with the back of his hand.

“You didn't Prom.” Noctis said.

“I - I did,” He was rubbing his face so hard it was leaving red marks. Noctis gently pried his hands away from his face and held tight onto his wrists. “I deserve it.”

“What do you mean? You don't deserve it!”

“It's my fault Luna is dead. Nyx is right.”Prompto answered, not looking at Noctis in the eye.

“No it's not Prom, you didn't kill her,” Noctis replied, starting to get annoyed. “A crazy fuck cut her neck open, or didn't you see the same video I did?”

Prompto flinched. “If I was a better detective, I would have caught him sooner and Luna wouldn't be dead.”

“Prompto, you can't blame yourself for everything that happens.” Noctis sighed.

“I can when it's my fault.” Prompto argued.

Noctis let go of Prompto’s wrists and stood up angrily. “Not everything in the world revolves around you!” _But everything in my world does._

Prompto stood up too, glaring at Noctis in an intensity he had never seen from the blonde man before. “Did you hear him say it in the video Noct? He said it himself, it should have been me.”

“If it was you Prom, I couldn't have coped,” Noctis said. His macabre dreams of seeing Prompto bleeding and sliced apart mixing with the reality of the fresh cuts on Prompto's skin. He couldn’t lose both his parents in front of him and then lose Prompto too. “You mean everything to me.”

Prompto viciously kicked a bottle on the floor. It hit the opposite wall and broke into three pieces. “I don't deserve it Noct. I never will.” He snarled.

Noctis grabbed Prompto's face and forced him to look up at him. His dark blue eyes were red rimmed and tears were forming at the corners. An ache formed in Noctis’ chest. He didn’t like seeing Prompto hurting so much. ”Prompto, I don’t like to see you doing this to yourself.”

“Maybe you should have picked someone better to be with.” Prompto said.

“I don't want anyone else. I want _you_. I want you to stop and be reasonable.” The words Noctis wanted to say got caught in his throat, nearly choking him. _I love you._

Prompto wrenched himself out of his grip. “Gods know why you do, I’m not worth it.”

 _Because you're amazing. You're beautiful. I love you._ “I can't just stand by and watch you do this to yourself. We need to do something, you need help.”

“Just break up with me if that's what you want Noct, because it’s not going to happen!” Prompto said, half growling as his eyes narrowed with anger. The words cut him deep. Noctis had to tell himself that Prompto was in a bad place and didn’t actually think he wanted to break up with him.

“No-”

Prompto interrupted him. “Don't be a coward, just do it.”

“That isn't what I want Prom. I want to help -”

They were interrupted by Prompto's phone going off. He checked the display before answering. “Yeah, Ignis?” He hummed a few times before saying “I'll be there now.” and hanging up. “I've got to go.” he said to Noctis.

“We need to talk about this Prom. I want to help.”

Prompto didn’t look in Noctis’ direction as he hastily gathered his things. “Don’t tell my dad.” he said.

“I won't.” Noctis paused. “Do you want a lift?”

“I'll walk.”

“Prom, I do want to help you. Please believe it.” Noctis pleaded.

Prompto didn’t answer. He roughly yanked open his bedroom door before storming out. 

_

 

“Are you sure you don’t need Noctis or Aranea to join you?” Ignis asked, his voice crackling a little on the phone speaker.

“Yeah I’m fine, it’s just a coin dealer. Can’t imagine he’s that dangerous." Prompto replied. Ignis had realised an error in their investigation. They’d been so wrapped up in beating the killer at his own game and getting to the victims in time that they’d completely overlooked the coins being left at the scenes. Prompto could kick himself, they were obviously significant enough to the killer that he felt the need to leave them behind every time. He should’ve looked into it sooner. Prompto cursed his stupidity internally and not for the first time that day, or even that hour.

“Okay but I'm sending Noctis over so you can make your next move together, let me know what he says.” Ignis said before hanging up. Prompto sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was see Noctis. He couldn't stand the look of worry on his face.

The shop was called Izunia’s Antiques and it was the only shop in Insomnia that specialised in antique and unusual coins which is why Ignis suggested he went there. Outside the door was a large van which Prompto noticed blocked the view from the security cameras of the opposite shop. There also wasn’t a camera outside of the shop itself. Risky move to not put a security camera in front of an antique shop, Prompto thought to himself. Maybe antique theft wasn’t common? Prompto doubted so.

When he pushed the door open, a small bell rang signalling his arrival and a lavishly dressed man swiftly came out from the back. He was wearing a suit with a heavy coat and a garishly patterned scarf wrapped around his neck even though it was warm outside. Every item of clothing he was wearing was patterned actually Prompto noticed, and all the patterns clashed horribly against each other. “Hello hello dear boy, how may I help you?” he said, his voice sing song. Prompto felt slightly uneasy from the voice. It seemed strangely familiar.

Prompto pulled out his badge, ‘I’m Dr. Prompto Argentum and I’m with the LBI. Are you Mr. Ardyn Izunia?" 

The man dramatically put his hand over his mouth, “I’m not in trouble am I?” he gasped.

“No sir, I’d just like to ask you a few questions," Prompto said, putting his briefcase down on the countertop. He pulled out a pile of pictures of the coins that were found at each crime scene. “What can you tell me about these coins?” he asked.

The man took the pictures and studied them intensely for a few moments. “These are Oracle Ascension coins. Rather rare out here in Lucis, but quite commonly found in Niflheim.” 

Prompto hummed to himself as he noted down the information in his notepad. “How hard are they to acquire in Lucis?” Prompto asked, tapping the end of his pen against his chin.

Ardyn observed Prompto carefully before he answered. “Not hard at all actually, that is if you know where to look.”

“And where would that be?” Prompto questioned.

“Why, the supplier in Niflheim of course,” Ardyn said as he searched through a small box on the countertop. He passed Prompto a card. “Here’s the number for them.”

Prompto accepted the card with thanks. “Do you not sell these coins?” 

“I do have them in stock but I haven’t sold one for least a year.” Ardyn dramatically sighed.

“Okay thank you Mr. Izunia." Prompto said, gathering his paperwork and standing up.

“Oh dear boy please call me Ardyn." Ardyn gave an unnerving smile.

Prompto fought back a shiver and nodded politely as he turned to leave the store. Outside he pulled out his phone and dialled the number written on the card.

“Hello this is the Niflheim Mint office, how may I help you?” the voice on the other end answered.

“Hello I’m Dr. Prompto Argentum calling from the Lucian Bureau of Investigation. I would like to talk to someone about the selling of Oracle Ascension coins?” Prompto said.

“Can I have your badge number for our records?” Prompto read out his number. “What would you like to know?”

“Has anyone bought a lot of Oracle Ascension Coins coins and had them sent to Lucis in the past three months?” Prompto asked.

There was some clicking on the other end as the person searched their records. “Yes, it says right here than an Ardyn Izunia of Izunia's Antiques has purchased about a hundred.” 

Prompto’s blood ran cold. “Has there been any other purchases this large, ever?”

“Not to Lucis.” the voice affirmed.

Prompto thanked them for their help and hung up the phone. He hastily began to dial Ignis’ number but was stopped when someone clamped a heavy hand on his shoulder. He jumped violently and spun around. Ardyn. Prompto opened his mouth to say something but opted to reach for his gun instead.

Ardyn grabbed his wrist and made a tutting sound. “Dear boy it appears you have discovered my little secret. I simply cannot be having that.” he grinned maliciously before twisting Prompto’s wrist. Prompto gasped from the sudden, sharp pain and dropped his gun, watching in despair as it clattered under the van and out of reach.

“They know I’m here,” Prompto threatened shakily, “Just give yourself up now."

Ardyn cackled loudly. “All they know is that you came here. They won't know what happens next.”

Prompto tried to pull out of his grip but Ardyn held on tight. Remembering his training, Prompto tried to wriggle his wrist to break the tight grip. Ardyn knew what he was doing and hit him with the back of his hand, hard. Stunned, Prompto fell limply to the floor.

“My dear boy, I've been waiting for you for so long. We're going to have so much fun!” he said before planting his knee heavily on the middle of Prompto’s chest so he couldn’t move. He fiddled with something in an inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a syringe. Prompto looked around, panicked. Why wasn’t there anyone around? Ardyn uncapped the needle and injected the contents straight into Prompto’s vein.

Ardyn removed his knee and stood up straight with a slight wince. Prompto weakly turned around onto his stomach, trying to spot his gun. He crawled forward half an inch before he was overcome with an overwhelming bout of dizziness. He lay his head on the pavement and spotted his gun under the parked van that shielded them both from the security cameras of the shop opposite. As he slid into unconsciousness, he vaguely hoped that the gun wouldn't be found by Ardyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment we love to know what everyone is thinking!!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning for moderate torture and self harm references

That lead was nothing. Going to go home and rest. The text that Noctis had received from Prompto was off putting to say the least. Noct couldn’t quite put his finger on what bothered him about it. It didn’t seem like Prompto had written it, but he obviously did. Who else could have his phone? 

Noctis unease intensified the next day when Prompto didn't show up for work. He tried texting him several times but received no response. Everytime Noctis looked up and saw the empty desk, his anxiety doubled. He blinked and saw a flash of the cuts on Prompto's thighs, the scars on his stomach.

Noctis was snapped out of his dark thoughts when Prompto's desk phone rang, Noctis leant over to answer it. “This is Dr. Prompto Argentum’s phone, can I help you?” he answered.

“Uh hey, is Prompto there?” a man’s voice replied.

“Who's calling?” Noctis asked.

“It's Cor Leonis, Prompto's father.” 

Noctis’ heart sank. If Cor was calling, that meant Prompto wasn't home. He dropped his formal tone and scrambled to sit in Prompto’s chair. “Cor, it's Noct. Did Prompto come home yesterday?” 

“No, that's why I'm calling. He texted me to say he was staying at your house but the text seemed like he was off, I just wanted to check on him.” Cor said.

“He texted me to say he was going home...” Noctis trailed off. They were both silent for a moment, taking in each other's words. In that moment, Noctis made a decision that he knew would make Prompto angry, but he was too worried to care. “Cor, he's relapsed.”

Noctis heard the hitch of Cor’s breath, which was followed by silence for a few seconds. “He’s relapsed?” Cor’s voice sounded strained.

“Yeah, I saw yesterday. We were arguing about it before he got called in. Do you think he-?” Noctis didn't want to say the words.

“No, he wouldn't do that.” Cor said quickly.

“I'll try and find him,” Noctis said. “I'll call you straight away if I find anything.”

“Please Noctis, find my son.” Cor said, voice thick with sadness before hanging up.

Noctis put the phone down with a slam. “Hey everyone!” They all turned to look at him. “Has anyone seen Prompto since yesterday?”

“Why? Is he missing?” Ignis asked. Noctis nodded, his chest tightening with anxiety.

“Maybe he needs some space? The way Nyx is acting must be getting to him.” Iris suggested.

Noctis shook his head. “He text me last night to say that was he going home, but his dad received a text that said he was going to stay at my place for the night and we both agree that the texts seem weird. Prompto is never so blunt in his texts, even when he’s mad.”

“We’ll wait to see if we hear from him today and if he’s still missing tomorrow we can launch a missing persons investigation.” Ignis said. 

“That's what we said about Luna and we were too late,” Aranea said quietly. “I don't want anything to happen to Blondie.”

“I'm sure-” Ignis started but Noctis interrupted him by slamming his hands on the desk. 

“We already know he's targeting Prompto, Ignis. We shouldn’t wait around!” 

Ignis used his index finger to push his glasses up. “Look, I don't want to say this but our hands are tied. He isn't considered a missing person for twenty four hours. Professionally, we can't do anything.”

Annoyance flared up in Noctis but despite his urge to argue his point, he stayed silent. As much as he loathed to admit, Ignis was right. And there was a possibility that Iris was right and Prompto just simply decided to drop off the grid for a day, but deep down Noctis didn’t think that was the case. Prompto hated being lonely. “I’m gonna go and check out that antique place, see if the owner knows where he went.” Noctis said.

“Noctis…” Ignis warned.

“I’m just following up on a lead Ignis.” Ignis didn’t bother to argue, Noctis’ mind was made up. 

_

The area in which the antique shop was located was eerily quiet. Most of the surrounding buildings were abandoned and had fallen into a state of disrepair. It was a strange place to sell antique coins to say the least, but the rent on the store was bound to be cheap.

Noctis noticed there was no security camera outside the store, and the closest operating store opposite the shop had it’s cameras view blocked by a large van parked directly outside.   
He opened the door to the antique shop and a small bell chimed, announcing his arrival. A man with way more layers of clothing than was necessary came out of a back room and smiled at Noctis. He looked vaguely familiar but Noctis couldn’t place his face. “Good afternoon, I’m Noctis Lucis Caelum from the LBI.” Noctis introduced himself.

Something that looked suspiciously like recognition flashed in his eyes and he seemed to fight off a smug smile. “Oh, visited by the LBI twice in week, aren’t I a lucky man!” 

“Yes that’s why I’m here actually. Can you remember what the detective who was here yesterday asked you?” Noctis questioned.

“Mr. Prompto Argentum?” the man asked, tilting his head slightly in consideration.

“Doctor actually.” Noctis replied. The man’s eyes glittered with amusement.

“Ah yes, I apologize. Dr. Prompto Argentum.” he said slowly, the words rolling off his tongue. “Young, blonde, very beautiful?”

Noctis didn’t like the way he was talking about Prompto one bit, he almost shuddered uncomfortably. “Can you remember what he asked you or not?”

The man laughed deeply. “Oh my, rather impatient are we? No matter. He asked about some coins. He seemed rather disappointed when I told him no one really buys the coins he was showing me, but I gave him the number of the Niflheim Mint and sent him on his way.”

“What happened then?” Noctis pressed.

“He made a phone call outside, then left I assume.” the man said.

“You assume?” Noctis raised his brow questioningly. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, after he left, I went into the back area. I don’t have nearly enough customers of justify standing out here all day.” the man waved his hand dismissively. 

“Isn’t it dangerous leaving your stock unguarded?” Noctis asked, feeling more suspicious of the man by the minute.

He laughed again, but it held a dangerous edge to it. Noctis felt uneasy. “No one wants to steal antiquities these days my boy.” he said.

“Have you got any security footage of Dr. Argentum leaving your store?”

The man sighed but beckoned Noctis to follow him around the counter and into the back room in which he had originally come from. The room was small, there was just enough space for a chair and a computer whilst still leaving three doors easily accessible. The computer was at least ten years old, Noctis observed as the man clicked a few icons and opened up grainy looking surveillance footage. He stepped back out of the way to let Noctis watch. The camera was by the door and faced out onto the shop floor, it was a strange angle. He saw Prompto standing by the counter for a while and could just about make out the store owner talking to him. After a few minutes, he turned and left the shop as the store owner stared after him. After a few moments he turned and retreated into the back room, just as he said he did.

“So where do these doors lead?” Noctis asked, indicating at the other two closed doors. He had a gut feeling that this store wasn’t all it appeared to be.

The owner narrowed his eyes angrily at Noctis. “One is the fire escape and one leads to a store room.” he said.

Noctis stood up straight and pointed to one of the doors. “Can I see?” 

The man sighed in annoyance and turned to unlock the door Noctis had gestured at. He pushed the door open harshly, showing Noctis the alley behind the shop. Noctis flinched slightly at the startling sound of the door hitting the wall outside. The door swung back and the man pulled it shut, turning to look at Noctis with a raised brow. Noctis nodded and he locked it again. He then opened the store room and held it open, allowing Noctis to step inside. Noctis glanced around the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Boxes upon boxes were stacked on shelves lining the walls. Noctis took a quick peek into one of the boxes and saw a tray of coins. “I have to ask that if you wish to poke around some more you obtain a warrant. I don’t appreciate being treated like a lowly criminal.” Noctis started at the mans words. 

“I apologise that I made you feel that way,” Noctis said, stepping out from the store room. “I should leave. I’ll contact you if I have any further questions.” The man nodded, though he still appeared to be annoyed. 

Noctis left the shop and observed his surroundings. The street was still as desolate as it was when he first arrived. He was suddenly overcome with an urge and dropped to a squat, bending down to look under the van parked outside. There was a gun underneath. It was almost as if he subconsciously knew he’d find something suspicious, not that the strange man wasn’t suspicious enough. Noctis pulled an evidence bag out of his bag and carefully reached under the van to pick up the gun for a closer inspection. It was an LBI issued weapon. Most likely Prompto’s, he thought to himself as a sick feeling of dread settled into the pit of his stomach. He sealed the bag and put it back into his bag, making a mental note to get Ignis to check the serial number on the weapon as soon as he got back to the office.

_

Prompto woke up with a pounding head and a mouth that felt like sandpaper. He assumed he was laying on a floor from how cold and hard the surface was. It took him a few moments to gather his thoughts and remember what had happened. He cracked open an eye and tried to survey his surroundings. The room was pretty dark, the only light was from the hallway which filtered through the bars of the cage he was laying in. He looked around and noticed there were more cages surrounding the room, but they were empty. He sat up with a groan, bones cracking as he stretched his back. The floor was concrete, that explained why the room was so cold. Prompto noticed several ominous stains scattered across the floor.  
He looked down at himself and realised with a start that he was now left in nothing but his underwear and his hands were bound together in front of him with handcuffs. He tugged at them experimentally, but all that was cause the solid metal to cut at his wrists. 

Prompto took several deep breaths and tried to think. There must be a way out. He slowly stood on wobbly legs and edged a little closer to the edge of the cage and peered out into the corridor. There was a single door located on either end of the corridor. Faint footsteps disturbed the still silence of the room and he quickly scrambled back to his place on the floor.

The door opened, allowing more light to fill the room making it easier for Prompto to see. The man, Ardyn, approached and came to a stop in front of the cage Prompto was in. He wrapped a hand loosely around one of the bars and grinned sinisterly. “I’m so glad to see you have finally awoken. You’ve been sleeping for quite a while now.” he said.

“I wasn't sleeping, you knocked me out.” Prompto retorted.

He unlocked the cage door with a heavy looking key and sauntered over to where Prompto was sitting. Prompto looked up at him, refusing to flinch away from him even when he gently stroked Prompto's jaw. “You really are quite exquisite. I really didn't want to bruise your beautiful face but I suppose some sacrifices had to be made.” he sighed.

Ardyn grabbed the chain connecting the handcuffs together and hauled Prompto to his feet. Prompto winced as the metal dug harshly into his pale skin. His legs were still wobbly and the only thing keeping him upright was the strong pull on the cuffs around his wrists. “I hope you do behave yourself my dear boy, I’d loathe to have to make this any harder than it has to be.” 

He dragged Prompto down the corridor, in the opposite direction that he had originally come from and opened the door at the end. Prompto struggled against his restraints as Ardyn yanked him into the room, causing him to freeze in his ministrations as he took in the room. The chair placed in the centre looked eerily similar to the one in the video of Luna’s murder. Prompto’s blood turned to cold ice when Ardyn shoved Prompto into it and strapped down his torso and legs. “I assume you recognise this place?”

“Yes.” Prompto whispered, feeling nauseous.

Ardyn’s grin became impossibly darker. “Didn’t she look beautiful once I was finished with her?”

“She looked mutilated.” Prompto snapped. It probably wasn't a good idea to talk to him like that but Prompto was overcome with a sudden anger. This is the man that had teased and taunted him for months. The man who had murdered Luna and caused his friends and countless others so much pain. And now, he was standing right in front of him.

Ardyn picked up a metal cane from beside him and struck Prompto across the thighs with it, hard. Prompto gasped and tried to wriggle away but he couldn't move very far. He hit him again, somehow in exactly the same place, and the pain intensified. Prompto let out a choked sob. “Believe me, I don't want to hurt you, but you look so pretty when you cry.” 

Prompto looked away, willing the tears in his eyes to disappear. “Don't do that,” Ardyn cooed, “I said I wanted you to cry.” He tutted a few times, surveying the blonde carefully. “You're used to pain, I can see that. I'll make you break though, don't worry.”

He leaned over Prompto to inspect the scars on his stomach. Prompto saw black roots coming through the maroon of his hair. Ardyn stood up straight after a few moments and smiled, reaching to undo the handcuffs. Prompto’s relief was short lived as Ardyn moved to strap his arms down to the chair too. His heart began to pound. “What are you doing?”

“You'll see soon enough.” He bent down and picked up a heavy looking hammer. Ardyn spun it over in his hands a few times and grinned, baring his teeth. “Did you know your dear Noctis was here earlier?” Ardyn announced, pacing back and forth slowly with a bounce to his step. “Funnily enough, he stood nearly directly above where you were sleeping. It was so very hard to not laugh when he was clearly worried sick about you.”

“Noctis was here?” Prompto gasped. Relief flooded his veins once more. If Noctis was here then help was most definitely on the way. Prompto could only pray that his instincts had proven to be helpful and Noctis peered under the van to find his gun. It was only a matter of time until they ran the details on the gun and found out it was his.

“Yes, don’t worry though dear, I let him go. Half the fun is watching people like him run around in a panic searching for someone already lost.” Ardyn spun the hammer once more and held it firmer in his hand, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a sinister smile as he approached Prompto.

Prompto tried in vain to get away but it was futile. He did not have a good feeling about this. No one should be smiling like that when walking towards someone with a hammer.

Ardyn moved so fast that Prompto didn’t even notice the hammer come down heavily on his hand until he felt and heard the bones in his hand shatter. He didn’t even feel the pain through the pure shock. “No tears yet?” Ardyn whined.

He hit again and again, in different spots but still on the same hand. Three of Prompto’s knuckles cracked. He felt sick. He could feel a numb pain blossoming in his hands, but the full extent of his injuries hadn’t quite registered through his shuddering gasps. The wall stopping Prompto from feeling the sheer pain was broken when Ardyn changed the target of his strikes. He yelled out in agony as the hammer came down on his knee, breaking it. Ardyn smiled wider when he noticed the fat tears streaming down Prompto’s cheeks. “Smile for daddy dearest!” He exclaimed with a laugh.

The camera clicked with a blinding flash and Ardyn laughed harder.  
_

There was still no sign of Prompto the following day. The gun that Noctis had found under the van had turned out to be one that Prompto had been issued, but Ignis still refused to do anything until the 24 hour mark hit, believing there to be nothing wrong. Noctis wasn’t sure if it was pure hope that Prompto was okay or just Ignis’s clear obsession with bureaucracy that was clouding Ignis’ judgement, but he was furious. Gladio had even come in to see if his gym partner was around and seemed more worried than disappointed when he wasn’t to be found. 

The unusual silence that had blanketed the office ever since Prompto’s disappearance was broken when Cor came into the office, walking as fast as his prosthetic leg would carry him. In his hands, he held a thick envelope. Noctis’ heart sunk. That envelope looked way too familiar.

His hands were shaking when he passed the envelope to Ignis. “Has he got Prompto?” Noctis asked quietly. Aranea covered her mouth to silence her gasp and Iris’ normally tanned face paled noticeably.

Cor collapsed into Prompto's desk chair. “Someone has to save him,” he whispered. “He's my son.” Cor buried his face in his hands, holding back a sob with a shuddering breath.

Noctis snatched the contents of the envelope out of Ignis’ hands. He scanned through the pictures quickly, not wanting to linger on the sight of Prompto’s pained face for too long. He could almost hear the sound of Prompto’s cries. He had some nasty looking bruises on his body and his hand was clearly broken beyond repair. Noctis threw the photos on the floor. He spun around angrily to face Ignis, “You said we shouldn't worry! That he would be fine!”

“Noctis, I didn't know…” Ignis spluttered.

“I told you! I told you something was wrong and you didn’t listen to me!” Noctis yelled. “And now, Prompto is out there being tortured whilst we’re all here sitting on our asses doing nothing!”

Gladio picked up the photos, his eyes darkening. Noctis sometimes forgot that the behemoth of a man was good friends with soft and gentle Prompto. He didn’t think about how Gladio must be feeling too.

Noctis looked at Ignis, who seemed close to tears. “This is your fault Ignis.”

Gladio snapped out of it and shoved Noctis back. “That's out of order Noct, and you know it.”

“No it's not. I found Prompto’s gun yesterday. Something was wrong. We could have done something before this happened!” Noctis shouted.

Aranea stepped between them. “This isn't Ignis’ fault, just like it wasn't Prompto's fault when Luna was taken. We need to work together to find him and not let this break us up anymore than it already has. You think that’s what Prompto would want? Think again.”

Frustrated, Noctis threw himself into his chair. His hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t even type. He grabbed fistfulls of his hair in an attempt to calm down, but the overwhelming sense of panic washed over him full force. He let out a choked sob and buried his face in the crook of his arms. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Ignis’s.

“I didn’t even get to tell him I loved him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well we did that


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so there's a few trigger warnings here so I'll just list them  
> torture  
> details of injuries  
> references to self harm  
> dub con kissing  
> dub con sex (referenced)

Time passed in a pain filled haze. Prompto couldn’t have told anyone how long he was down there for. There seemed to be no pattern in how often Ardyn returned. After he broke Prompto’s hand and leg, he didn’t return for a while, leaving Prompto laying on the cold, hard floor. Or at least it felt like a while, all Prompto was aware of was the pain radiating throughout his broken body.

The second time Ardyn returned, Prompto was vaguely aware of him talking for awhile about lost love and the government in Niflheim. It was almost as though he’d forgotten Prompto was there whilst he ranted to himself. When he eventually snapped out of his thoughts and realised Prompto was there, he kicked him three times in the chest with his heavy boots. Judging by the pain Prompto felt everytime he took a breath, he suspected that he had broken a rib. 

The time after that, he roughly grabbed Prompto by the hair and hauled back to the chair. He laughed sinisterly as he looked at Prompto’s old scars and the fresher cuts on his thighs. “It is funny to me that you have been hurting yourself this entire time when I have been just simply dying to hurt you myself. Oh my dear boy, if pain is what you wanted you could’ve just come to me.”

He grabbed a small, wickedly sharp dagger and pressed it to the flesh of Prompto’s thighs, cutting the already marred skin. The more Prompto protested, the deeper Ardyn cut. He moved onto Prompto’s stomach when he ran out of room on Prompto’s legs. Prompto saw his scars as proof of his survival, proof that he was strong enough to get through the darkest of days. But now, now they were being desecrated. He’d never be able to forget what Ardyn had done to him, he’d never be able to look at his body without feeling sick again. If he got out of here that was. 

_Please Noctis, where are you? Help me._

Noticing that Prompto had spaced out and wasn’t reacting as much to his assault, Ardyn moved onto the inside of Prompto’s forearms. He pressed the knife gently to Prompto’s skin, startling him as he moved to look into his eyes. “Have to be more careful here my boy. We don’t want to go too deep,” he whispered before sharply pulling the blade across Prompto’s skin.

The pain from the cuts didn’t bother Prompto too much. He had been doing that to himself for too long. He was used to it, the pain felt more like a familiar friend than an angry stranger. The realisation that the pain brought by the end of a blade didn’t have much of an effect on Prompto seemed to anger Ardyn because the next time Prompto saw him, he was harshly beaten with a cane and kicked again. Blunt trauma worked. It definitely hurt more.

Prompto suspected that some of the cuts had gotten infected. The skin around the deepest of wounds was red and swollen, whilst a few of the oldest cuts had a nasty yellow tinge to them and two had begun to crust over with dried pus.

Prompto had been left alone in the room with the chair for a while before Ardyn returned to drag him back to the rusty cell that he had first woke up in. “You’ve got some neighbours now, my dear boy,” he said before throwing Prompto to the ground. Ardyn locked the cell door behind him which Prompto couldn’t help think was pointless. He barely had the strength to sit up, let alone attempt to escape.

Prompto lay there for a while, his eyesight foggy and his mind exhausted. It wasn’t until his ‘neighbours’ made a noise that Prompto remembered what Ardyn said. Neighbours? Prompto forced his cloudy brain to concentrate and strained his eyes to make out the figures of a man and woman. The man was tall and frail looking, like he had been down here for a while. Prompto could imagine he was once healthy and handsome. He looked to the woman next to him, she too was thin, and her skin was even paler than Prompto’s which is something he never thought could be possible. Their hair, his a deep maroon and hers blonde, was outgrown and thickly matted. Their clothes falling apart and barely hanging to their bodies.

The man approached the bars that separated their two cells, wrapping a bony hand around the bars. “Are you okay?” his voice was melodic and sounded eerily similar to Ardyn’s. Prompto flinched away instinctually. Prompto struggled to sit up and tried to focus his vision on the man. He even looked like Ardyn. A chill ran down Prompto’s spine. “Verstael? Is that you?” the man said.

“I’m Prompto,” he managed to croak. 

“Prompto,” the man trailed off seemingly in thought, “I apologise, you look like someone I once knew, his name was Verstael,” he said, sliding down to sit on the floor. “I’m Ardyn, and this here is Lahana.”

Prompto’s foggy brain struggled to make sense of the mans words. “Ardyn? But he said he was Ardyn.”

Ardyn scowled. “That’s my brother. His name is Somnus. He stole my identity a long time ago and locked us up in here,” he gestured to the blonde woman, Lahana, Prompto remembered, who was sat on the floor in the corner closest to Prompto’s own cell.

“Stole your identity? Why would he do that?” Prompto asked.

Ardyn sighed. “My brother is a wanted criminal back in Niflheim,” he said.

Prompto considered the mans words for a few silent moments before Lahana spoke up. “Verstael Besithia. That’s who you look like, when he was younger at least.”

“Who’s that?” Prompto asked. He shuffled slightly, trying to ease the pressure on his ribs. All this talking was beginning to hurt, but Prompto was too curious to rest. If he ever got out of here, he’d need this information.

 

Ardyn flicked a glance at Lahana. “He's a scientist who lives in Gralea. He and my brother were very close until Verstael met a woman named Reina. Reina was our dear friend. She loved Verstael deeply, but she was nothing but a plaything to him. It wasn’t until Reina had a baby that she saw just how evil Versatel really was. When the child was just one year old, Verstael kidnapped the child and took him away to conduct experiments on him.” 

“Reina was my best friend. Ardyn and I helped her get the child from Verstael and Somnus who was helping him. We sent them towards to the border in the hopes that they’d flee to Insomnia, but Somnus found out what we were doing and captured both me and Ardyn. He sent magitek soldiers after Reina and her son. They killed her, but there was never any sign of the child… until now,” Lahana added.

“Until now?” Prompto asked.

“Prompto,” Ardyn said. “The child's name was Prompto.”

Prompto sucked in a sharp breath and swallowed thickly. “That means, my father…”

“No,” Lahana snapped, scrambling to reach through the bars and grab Prompto’s hand. “You are nothing like Verstael. It’s why Somnus is so fascinated by you. You may look similar, but your personalities are nothing alike. Remember that,” she said, squeezing Prompto’s hand.

Prompto tightened his hand around her own, squeezing back. “Thank you.”

“Verstael is insane,” Ardyn said bluntly. “I was rallying against his human experiments, we were beginn-” They were interrupted by the door at the end of the hallway swinging open with a loud bang. Ardyn - no, Somnus - was stood there clenching his fists. 

“I don’t like you talking about him like that, dear brother,” he snarled. Lahana’s grip on Prompto’s hand tightened.

“He poisoned your mind with his crazy theories, Somnus!” Ardyn argued, pulling himself up with the bars of the cell. “Somnus, my brother, please let this young man go. He doesn't deserve to be punished for what his father did to you. He’s innocent.”

“He didn’t do anything to me,” Somnus replied, his voice shaking with suppressed anger. “But don’t you worry, I am going to let him go. Soon enough anyway. His time’s almost up.”

Somnus approached Prompto’s cell, pulling out a chain of keys from his pocket. Lahana’s other hand shot out to grip Prompto’s arm tightly. “Somnus don’t,” she cried.

“Shut up,” Somnus spat. He bent down and grabbed a fistful of Prompto’s hair and began to drag him away. Prompto sobbed and gripped Lahana’s hands as tight as he could, fighting back. Somnus growled and Prompto was forced to let go when Somnus harshly slammed his head against the hard floor and stamped on Prompto’s already broken hand, twisting his foot savagely.

“Somnus, please don’t hurt him anymore, he’s innocent,” Ardyn cried out, shaking the bars.

Somnus kicked Prompto once in the stomach, making him retch and cough. He laughed, high and cruel. “You know, the moment I saw him in the news I knew he was Verstael’s boy. They look nearly identical, don’t you think? It amused me but I was willing to let it go. Almost. But then I remembered what his bitch of a mother did to me, and that she tried at all costs to protect his pathetic hide, even to the point dying for him. So then I thought to myself, what better way to get back at her than to make her death meaningless by killing the very child she tried so hard to protect?”

“Somnus, I beg you, don’t kill him,” Lahana croaked weakly.

“Oh I won’t kill him sweetheart,” Somnus smirked at her. “I’ll injure him horribly and let him die. His injuries will kill him, not me. Don’t you worry your pretty little head though, I still have a few days of fun left with him. You’ll see him again later. Now, say bye bye,” he cackled, reaching down to grab Prompto’s ankles.

Somnus dragged him down the corridor by his ankles, the cuts on Prompto’s thighs stretching painfully in protest. Somnus hauled Prompto into the room with the chair and tried to pull Prompto to stand upright, but Prompto didn’t have the strength left to stand and hung limply in Somnus’ grasp. “Please stop hurting me,” Prompto begged weakly, voice hoarse from days of screaming.

He was ignored as Somnus tried to lift him without the support of his cane. Prompto noted for the first time that Somnus appeared to have a slight limp, whatever injury he had must have been bothering him today particularly. After a few futile attempts, Somnus growled and threw Prompto’s limp body to the floor. “No matter, this will be fun on the floor,” he smiled creepily.

Prompto was laying face down on the floor, so he couldn't see what Somnus was doing, but he heard some strange noises. “I love Oracle Ascension Coins. Did you know there's a different picture on it for each Oracle? My favourite is this one, made for the ascension of the Oracle Eila.”

Somnus grabbed Prompto by the hair and yanked his head back so he could see the coin he was holding. It was old, slightly rusty in places, and the picture depicted a crescent moon with a flying bird. “Obviously the Oracle isn't as important as she was two hundred years ago, but the coins are beautiful. They're made of iron, did you know that?”

“No,” Prompto whispered. He didn't know where this history lesson was coming from and he didn't like where it was going.

Somnus seemed delighted in being able to explain more to Prompto. “Iron is said to repel daemons. But the other fun thing about iron is its melting point is one thousand five hundred and thirty five degrees celsius,” his smile turned wicked. Prompto's stomach dropped when he realised in Somnus's other hand he held a blow torch. “Have you realised what i'm going to do yet?”

“Please don’t,” tears sprung to Prompto's eyes. Somnus just smiled as he grasped the coin between a pair of metal tongs.

“This won’t hurt darling, I promise,” Prompto tried to crawl away as best as he could with one hand and one leg, but he didn't get very far. He could hear the sound of the blow torch behind him and he began to choke on his sobs. Somnus pressed a foot into his back, hard, and stopped him in his tracks. Prompto's feeble attempt at escape just made him laugh louder.

Somnus bent down and grabbed Prompto's right wrist, the one with the barcode tattoo on, and held it tightly in his grasp. He pressed the hot coin against Prompto’s skin, right over the barcode. Prompto could hear and smell his skin sizzling. The pain of the scalding coin was white hot, unlike any pain Prompto had ever experience before. Prompto screeched in pain as again and again, Somnus pressed the coin into Prompto’s skin. He didn’t stop at Prompto’s wrist, he pressed three more coin shaped burns into Prompto's right arm and two on his back. Prompto’s screams for him to stop turned into unintelligible sobbing by the third one.

Somnus kicked Prompto in the side, forcing him over onto his back. The coldness of the floor soothed his burns for a second before the weight of his body pressing the sensitive flesh against the ground became too much to bare. It was a struggle but Prompto managed to pull himself up into a sitting position. Somnus sat next to him with a heavy sigh, like he had just had the hardest day in his life. Prompto couldn't stop his body from shaking violently. His brain screamed at him to move away from Somnus, but his body wouldn’t co-operate.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked softly. 

Prompto nodded his head desperately. “Please, please, please,” he sobbed, snot bubbling from his nose and mixing with the tears soaking his face.

Somnus brushed his hand through Prompto’s hair and brought it down to cup his chin, caressing his face on the way down. “Kiss me,” Somnus whispered, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. Prompto stilled. “Kiss me and I’ll stop.”

Noctis's face flashed into Prompto's mind. He couldn't do that to Noctis, could he? He would understand why Prompto had to. He just wanted it to stop. But what if Somnus killed him before Noct could save him? That means the last person he would have kissed would have been Somnus. He couldn't deal with that. “I ca-can't do that to Noct,” Prompto cried.

Somnus' face broke into a wide smile as he tightened his grip on Prompto’s chin. “How about if you don't kiss me I'll chop off your fingers one by one and send them to Noct? Then when I run out of fingers I'll send your tongue. I'm sure he'd love to remember all the filthy things that tongue has done to him.” Prompto cringed. The words stuck in his throat. He couldn't say it. So he nodded weakly. “Good boy,” Somnus whispered. Prompto shuddered, remembering the time Noctis’ once breathlessly whispered those exact words into his ear.

Prompto wanted to pull away the second Somnus’ lips touched his own, but he couldn't, not with Somnus’ hand fisted in his hair so tightly it was pulling strands loose. His tongue pushed into Prompto's mouth. It felt so wrong. It wasn't like Noct, gentle and sweet even when they were desperate for more, it was forceful and harsh and Prompto had to fight down the sobs.

Somnus pulled back and smiled, satisfied and smug. “You have a pretty mouth, I suppose I can't persuade you to stay around and be my pet?” Prompto shook his head violently. Somnus sighed in disappointment. “Shame. You’d have made a wonderful pet. Don’t worry though, it’ll all be over soon.”

_

The pain of the burns got worse by the hour. Ardyn and Lahana both tried to talk to him, to pull him out of the pain but he didn't have the strength to respond. All he could concentrate on was the pain that pulsed through his body with every heartbeat. He quickly became feverish. The shivering wouldn’t stop although his forehead was dripping with sweat.

Eventually, Lahana managed to pull him from his pain filled stupor by asking how he was rescued from Niflheim. Cor, he could talk about Cor. “My dad… Cor… he found me. He saved me, lost his leg doing it,” he replied quietly. Talking helped keep his mind off the pain but it was exhausting to do so.

“What's he like?” she asked, pushing her hand through the bars and reaching towards him.

Prompto managed to drag himself a few inches closer so he could lace their fingers together. It made him feel stronger, and her touch was soothing. “He's kind, has a big heart. He just adopted another kid. Talcott.”

“Talcott is it? Tell me about him,” Prompto squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He didn’t even have enough time to get to know the boy. Lahana seemed to notice his internal struggle and reached out to run her hand through Prompto’s hair.

“What about your boyfriend? I heard Somnus mention you had one,” she said.

“Noctis? He's amazing,” Prompto gulped. “I argued with him, just before I was taken here. I hope he knows I didn't mean the things I said.”

“I'm sure he does,” Ardyn reassured him.

Prompto was silent for a moment before he spoke, “What was my mother like?”

Lahana smiled sadly. “She was the type of person who always saw the best in people, even those who didn’t deserve it. I think that's why she fell in love with Verstael, she saw something that no one else could, but that didn't matter when you were born. You became her whole world. She did everything she could to give you the best life possible. I’ve got to confess that I wasn’t happy when she told me she was pregnant. Anything that came from Verstael couldn’t be good. But she was an amazing mother, and it was clear you had inherited her personality after a few weeks. I remember she used to sing to you whenever you began to get upset, and your smile would be so bright that it would rival the sun. She probably died happy just knowing you were safe, all she ever wanted was the best for you.” 

“She sounds nice,” Prompto smiled wobbly, his eyes blurred with tears. “Can you sing the song to me?” he asked. Lahana nodded, settling herself into a comfortable position as she continued running gentle fingers through Prompto’s hair. She began to sing, her voice soothing Prompto into a foggy sleep, his pain turning to a dull throb as his eyes fell shut. He dreamt of a woman with beautiful blonde hair and pale, freckled skin singing to him as a child, rocking his young self in her arms. She sang a lullaby of the sun, and Prompto felt safe and sound in her arms.

When Prompto woke again, it was to the sound of the door opening. He guessed it was Somnus by the heavy footsteps that echoed down the corridor. He kept his eyes shut, feigning sleep. Maybe Somnus would leave him alone if he believe him to be sleeping.

He heard shuffling come from the cell next to him and the warm hand drawing shapes gently against his scalp disappeared as Lahana stood. He cracked his eye open slyly as Lahana began to tell Somnus to leave, that Prompto had had enough and he needed to rest. 

“I have everything set up for him. He’s about to be my most beautiful masterpiece yet,” Somnus said.

“Please, brother,” Ardyn protested. “Kill me instead, leave him be.”

Somnus scoffed, “You are far from my type, brother. Your hair would look terrible coated in blood, blondes are so much better.” He turned to unlock the door to Prompto’s cell. “Prompto darling, time to wake up,” he sang. Prompto closed his eyes tighter, willing himself not to move.

“Somnus wait, take me instead,” Lahana said. 

Prompto’s blood turned to ice as Somnus paused, seeming to consider her offer. “Very well,” he said after a moment. Ardyn made a noise of angry protest as Somnus moved to unlock their cell door instead. He was shushed by Lahana as she lay a gentle hand on his arm. They shared a look and they seemed to reach a mutual understanding. Protect the boy.

Guilt flared up in Prompto’s chest as Lahana was pulled along the corridor harshly and Ardyn paced back and forth anxiously, but yet he could not bring himself to move or speak. The pure terror of what awaited him at the end of the corridor crippling him. He kept his eyes closed and soon fell back into pain filled daze without the warmth of Lahana’s hand and her gentle voice to soothe him.

Prompto awoke again what felt like hours later to the sound of the cell door slamming shut. Lahana stumbled for a second before Ardyn caught her in his arms. Her tattered t-shirt was ripped even more and Prompto could see red marks that would surely form bruises on her neck and chest. “Are you satisfied now?” Ardyn asked, pulling Lahana closer to his chest as she cried and gasped in pain.

“Quite,” Somnus said with a smug grin. He left Ardyn stroking her hair and muttering reassurances in her ear and locked the cell door. As he turned he noticed Prompto sat up, clearly awake, and his lips formed into a sinister smirk. Somnus opened Prompto's cell door and shot a nasty grin in the direction of Ardyn and Lahana. “You promised,” Ardyn growled, tightening his hold on Lahana as she fought to reach Prompto.

“Please Somnus, I'll do whatever you want, you promised,” Lahana wailed.

“Aw you believed me, more fool you,” Somnus laughed. He roughly yanked Prompto up and turned him to face the two. “Now, say goodbye. For good this time.”

_

 

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of an absolute nightmare. No one had any idea where Prompto was and didn’t even know where to start looking. They were receiving ominous letters daily, describing in morbid detail exactly what Prompto was going through. Noctis had to stop reading after the fifth one. He hadn’t slept for more than ten hours in two weeks, his body was barely functioning anymore. Cor has to hold it together for Talcott’s sake, but he was still suffering horribly, often crying when he had a moment to himself.

Nyx had come into the office one day when the news of Prompto’s disappearance reached him, sheepishly apologising. “I’m sorry. I didn’t really want anything to happen to Prompto. He was Luna’s friend. I was angry and I needed someone to blame.” Noctis’ eyes had flashed purple and Nyx shot across the room, hit by a bolt of lightning. Everyone froze and held their breath. Noctis hadn’t lost control of his magic like that since he was a kid. Nyx was relatively unharmed, much to Noctis’ disappointment. He refused to feel guilt. It was Nyx’s blaming that drove Prompto into relapsing. It was because of Nyx that Noctis had to hold Prompto down and force his clothes away to see his scars, causing them to fight. If they hadn’t had fought, Noctis would have been with Prompto that day and he would have never gotten hurt.

Day fifteen brought another sleepless night. Everytime Noctis closed his eyes he could imagine Prompto, covered in cuts and bruises, crying out for help in a puddle of his own blood. Noctis got up groggily, he couldn’t stick being in his house alone for a moment longer. He’d leave early, stop at Prompto’s favourite coffee shop and buy that disgusting concoction he insisted on drinking whenever they went there and walk slowly to work. 

Noctis stepped outside to the brisk morning air and like always, his eyes immediately drifted to the streetlight where he and Prompto shared their first kiss. This morning though, something was different. There was something, no, someone, suspended between the lamp post and the tree next to it. Noctis stumbled over to the body.

It was Prompto.

His legs were tied together and he was suspended by his wrists. His head was bowed onto his chest and blue flowers were placed carefully in his hair, blood was dripping from multiple wounds, forming a puddle beneath him. In the puddle, there was a pile of flowers that were once white but were now stained with drops blood. “No no no,” Noctis babbled hysterically, panic swelling up in his chest. Noctis didn't notice the coins scattered around the scene until he knocked one with his boot, sending it clattering across the pavement.

With a burst of blue crystals, he summoned a sword and cut Prompto down after securing his body. Noctis hands were shaking but he managed to hold them still long enough to find a pulse in Prompto’s neck, weak and slow as it was. He let out a relieved sob. He wasn’t dead. He could still save him. There was no doubt though he was very ill, his skin was hot to the touch even though it was a cold morning.

With shaking hands, he pulled his phone from his pocket and called Ignis.

It took a few rings for him to answer. “Noct, it's five in the morning,” he answered, sounding like Noctis had just woke him.

“It’s Prompto I- I found him Iggy.”

He heard the rustle of sheets and a groan that sounded like Gladio's. “What do you mean Noctis? What do you mean you found him?” Ignis panicked, thinking the worst.

Noctis clutched his phone tighter with a blood soaked hand. He absently noted that Prompto was bleeding from cuts across his wrists. “He was ha-hanging from the tree and the street light outside my house. He's alive Iggy, but he's hurt. Badly.”

“Phone an ambulance Noct, I'll be there in five minutes,” Ignis hung up.

Noctis did as Ignis said, pleading for the ambulance to hurry and just held Prompto tightly. He made makeshift bandages for his wrists by tearing bits of his shirt off. When Ignis finally arrived, almost four minutes later, he was still in his dressing gown and slippers, Gladio following closely behind. 

Gladio swore when he saw the state Prompto was in. Ignis paled. “Noctis, are you sure…”

“I felt his pulse Iggy, he’s alive. He’s alive,” Noctis cried, rocking back and forth as he clutched Prompto’s body tighter. “He’s alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favourite chapter that I’ve ever written, I hope you guys love it! Pls leave a comment and give kudos if you enjoyed, it means so much :) - L xoxo


	24. Chapter 24

It had been a week. A week of hell. It pained Noctis to see Prompto just laying there; lifeless and unmoving. Prompto, who was normally so full of life, always moving and smiling, was now so still. Noctis would have thought he was dead if it wasn't for the constant beep of the monitors. The doctors said he was improving but all Noctis wanted was to see those deep blue eyes again.

The list of injuries was extensive; seven broken ribs, internal bruising on his abdomen and lungs, a severely broken hand, a broken knee, six third degree burns, a total of one hundred and twenty stitches, not including the stitches from his hand surgery, and a head injury. They said it was lucky that they were able to fix most of his hand but he may still have difficulty moving some fingers. The burns on bis back where causing problems too, they couldn't lay him in his back so they had to prop him up on his side. The burns would never completely heal either, he was going to have bad scarring they said, and the burns looked suspiciously like those coins that were found scattered around Prompto’s body. The doctors would not be sure of the severity of the head injury until Prompto woke up, but he had not.

The fact that Prompto was treated like a piece of evidence bothered Noctis immensely. Every injury was photographed and analysed for evidence. Noctis knew Prompto would hate someone gazing at his body so intensely. Ignis had to gently guide Noctis out of the room and explain that the doctors were going to check for sexual assault. That hurt Noctis the most, the thought of that happening to Prompto would be too much for him to bare. Much to his relief, the tests came back negative.

The doctors said it was quite normal for him to be unconscious for that amount of time after such a traumatic event and his head injury, but Noctis still worried. He would be worried until Prompto woke up and he could look into those blue eyes he had come to love.

Cor would be in the hospital in the day, and Noctis would sleep there, it was the only place he could sleep. When he’d wake up from a terrifying nightmare, he would open his eyes and see the blonde laying asleep in the hospital bed, hear the beep of the heart monitor and be comforted. He was still alive.

“Please wake up Prom,” Noctis whispered, squeezing the blondes hand.

_

Noctis’ wavering control over his magic was getting worse. It was the stress, he knew it was, but knowing that didn’t help when he accidentally fried all the computers in the station when sparks flew from his fingertips or when he froze his kitchen when he dropped a glass. He was just glad that Ignis had taken Umbra and Stuart for a while. If he hurt them by accident he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

He fell asleep at his desk for the fifth time that day when he had been awoken from a horrible nightmare. He could see Prompto being tortured, could feel his blood all over him, could hear his screams. Ignis was shaking him, pulling him from the dream. His chest was heaving and he was violently shaking. When he came to his senses, he realised the room was freezing cold from the blizzard spell he had unconsciously cast. Noctis quickly stopped the flow of magic with a muttered apology. 

“Noctis, you shouldn’t be here,” Ignis said gently.

“I want to find him Ignis, we can’t just let the piece of shit who did this get away with it!” Noctis argued.

“We won’t let him get away with this Noct, but you aren’t helping anyone by falling asleep and freezing us half to death,” Aranea said. If Noctis wasn’t so exhausted he would have made a sarcastic remark about Aranea actually using his name for once.

“I don’t want to just sit in the hospital all day,” Noctis mumbled. “I don’t like seeing him like that. I need to do something.”

“Why don’t you see if Gladio’s up for a sparring session, I’m sure working out some of your stress will help,” Ignis suggested.

As it turned out, Gladio was up for going to the gym. It wasn’t surprising really; if Gladio wasn’t at the salon you could guarantee to find him at the gym.

“How’s Prom?” Gladio asked as soon as Noctis was in the car.

Of course he would straight away ask about the one thing Noctis was trying to not think about. However, Prompto was Gladio’s friend too and he wasn’t allowed to visit. Noctis couldn’t be annoyed at the man for wanting to know how his friend was doing. “The doctors say he’s getting better but he still hasn’t woken up.”

Gladio looked disappointed. “I hope he wakes up soon.”

Noctis nodded, nibbling on his bottom lip nervously. “So do I.”

Their sparring session was going the same as it usually did before Noctis lost control again. He tried to summon a practice dagger from the armiger before he realised a second too late that it wasn’t a practice dagger. It was a real dagger. Luckily, Gladio was in the process of dodging the weapon anyway and it only grazed the outside of his bicep. He hissed in pain and dropped the greatsword he was holding with a loud clatter.

“Shit, I’m sorry Gladio,” Noctis exclaimed, dropping the dagger to the floor with a loud clatter. He inspected the wound, it was shallow, but long and dribbled blood. It made him think of the cuts on Prompto. His chest ached.

“I know you're stressed out but there’s no need to try and stab me,” Gladio joked, pressing a towel to the cut. Noctis knew he was joking and trying to lighten the mood, but it made the guilt he was feeling anyway double. 

“I’m just gonna go,” Noctis choked out, spinning around and jogging out of the gym.

“Wait Noct!” he heard Gladio calling, but he just kept on running.

_

The next day, Noctis couldn’t even look at Ignis. He still felt awful. His self-pitying, however, was interrupted by a man walking into their office, followed by a stressed looking Libertus. The mystery man was tall, taller even than Gladio, and had dark skin and long white hair. “Sir, you just can’t come in here,” Libertus protest, trying to steer the man out.

“This is important, I already told you,” the man replied. He had a thick accent which indicated he was from Niflheim if Noctis wasn’t mistaken.

“It’s fine Libertus,” Ignis assured him. Libertus opened his mouth to argue, but threw his hands up in defeat instead and turned to leave. “Would you mind telling us your name?” Ignis asked the man.

“Gilgamesh,” the man replied, “but that isn’t important. The important thing is I think I know who your serial killer is.”

The room fell into a tense silence at his words.

“What? Why didn’t you come forward sooner then?” Noctis demanded, jumping out of his chair.

Gilgamesh regarded him coldly. “Do you realise how difficult it is to get from Niflheim to Lucis?”

“Surely you could have told Niflheim police,” Iris said.

“No, the government would cover it up, like they covered up a good deal of things,” Gilgamesh shook his head.

“Well then spill it,” snapped Aranea.

Gilgamesh pulled his battered looking backpack off and opened it, pulling out a stack of crumpled papers. “It all started twenty five years ago. A man named Verstael Besithia started experimenting with humans. He worked for the government, and his research was government funded. My friend, Ardyn Izunia, tried to boycott the government for this and held protests and speeches all over Niflheim. His brother, Somnus, however was friends with Besithia and tried his best to get Ardyn to stop. Two years later, Ardyn was helping a woman get her child out of one of the facilities ran by Besithia when he disappeared along with his girlfriend. The child’s mother was found dead a few days later but the child was nowhere to be found. I had just assumed that the child had been taken back to the magitek facility where he was taken from but then I saw him on the Lucian news a few months ago.”

“How do you know it was the child?” Ignis asked, moving slowly towards Gilgamesh.

“Easy,” he held up a picture. It was grainy but the man it depicted looked eerily like Prompto. “If this man isn’t Verstael Besithia’s child I will eat my shoe.”

“You may be right there,” Ignis muttered, taking the photo and staring at it closely.

“How is this even related to the serial killer?” Noctis asked impatiently.

Gilgamesh scowled. “I was getting there.”

“Please, continue,” Ignis said.

“As I was saying, shortly after Ardyn vanished, so did his brother. I suspected something was wrong so I tried to report it to the police but they ignored me. I spent the next twenty years trying to find out what happened and I’ve finally got something. There’s a shop called Izunia’s Antiques and its apparently owned by an Ardyn Izunia. I was obviously skeptical so the first thing I did when I got to Insomnia was to have a look. I couldn’t imagine Ardyn dropping off the grid to open an antique shop so I disguised myself and went into the shop. He had dyed his hair but it was definitely Somnus behind the counter, pretending to be Ardyn. Now, the thing about Somnus is he has a thing for blondes. He had hit on Ardyn’s girlfriend several times and Ardyn suspected he had a sexual relationship with Verstael, who eventually rejected him for the mother of his child. He murdered a young blonde woman in a fit of rage just before he disappeared. I think he targeted your friend because he looks like Besithia,” Gilgamesh handed the rest of his papers to Ignis. “I believe Ardyn and Lahana are alive still and they’re with Somnus.”

Ignis carefully studied the pictures and documents he had been given. A part of Noctis itched to go over and look, but he couldn't take his eyes of Gilgamesh. He seemed strangely anxious, was he lying?

Finally, Ignis spoke, “Thank you for this evidence, I believe with it we can get a warrant for his arrest and to search the shop.”

Ignis went into his office to call the judge, Noctis gave him a few minutes and then followed after him, Ignis looked up at him when he entered just as he was putting the phone down. “What is it Noct?” Ignis asked.

“I want to be the one to arrest him,” Noctis stated.

Ignis sighed. “I'm not so sure that's a good idea Noct. Your magic has been unpredictable lately and we need him uninjured.”

“I can handle it Iggy, I promise.” Noctis insisted. Ignis pondered his words for a few moments before he nodded to himself.

“I don't want you to make this harder than it already will be. Can you guarantee that you won't lose control and kill him, even if he taunts you?” Ignis asked, putting his jacket on and picking up his gun and badge.

“I need to do this Iggy, I'll be fine.” Noctis said, more determined than ever. He would take down the man who had caused so many people so much pain. Who had caused Prompto pain. He had to. For Prompto.

_

The owner of Izunia’s Antiques was smiling when he saw Noctis, Ignis, Aranea and Iris walk in. Ignis was wearing a very serious expression on his face while he held the warrants from the court in his right hand, his left subtly waiting by his gun. Aranea and Iris also discretely had their hands resting by their guns. Noctis’s fingers twitched at his side, ready to call a weapon.

“What can I do for you officers?” ‘Ardyn’ asked, the smile never leaving his face.

“We have a warrant for your arrest and a warrant to search these premises,” Ignis said, his voice clear and commanding.

‘Ardyn’ clapped a hand over his mouth in faux shock. “Whatever did I do?”

Noctis approached him, trying his hardest to keep his anger in check as he handcuffed him. “Somnus Izunia, you are being arrested under suspicion for the murder of twelve people, the attempted kidnapping of Albert Wåhlander and the kidnapping, torture and attempted murder of Dr. Prompto Argentum. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what youre talking about,” Somnus replied, looking Ignis in the eyes.

Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose. “It will all be explained to you at the LBI headquarters, sir.”

“Not that part. I meant the attempted murder of dear Prompto, he should have died,” He smiled wickedly. “I hope you enjoyed your gift, dear Noctis. I wanted to shove a sword through him rather like I did to your father but I didn’t want to ruin the aesthetic appeal.”

“Bastard,” Noctis growled, flicking his fingers and summoning his sword in a flash of blue.

“Noctis,” Ignis warned. “You do realise you have just admitted to another murder?”

“Oh I’ve committed to a lot more than thirteen murders my dear,” Somnus grinned, stretching lazily despite the handcuffs restraining his arms behind his back. “I suppose you’d like exact numbers?”

“That would be ideal,” Ignis replied carefully.

“Follow me then,” Somnus said, turning around and pushing past Noctis to go into the back room.

Ignis quickly handed the warrants to Iris. “You and Aranea search this area. Noctis, follow me.”

“Yes sir,” the three of them replied in unison.

Ignis pulled out his gun and carefully followed behind Somnus. He lead them to the cramped storage closet that Noctis had investigated before. Noctis was about to complain, to tell Ignis he was just trying to stall them when Somnus stopped and gestured to a lone box sat on a shelf. Ignis shot Somnus a suspicious look but reached behind the box and the wall opposite them swung inwards. Noctis gritted his teeth in frustration. Of course there was a hidden door. 

Somnus lead them down the stairs slowly. “The funniest thing about all of this is that the lovely Prompto was lying there, bleeding and in agony nearly directly under where you were standing when you came to visit, dear Noctis,” Noctis had to physically bite his lip to refrain from leaping over Ignis and stabbing this guy. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the stairs and turned to smile at them. “He’s a good kisser too, no wonder you kept him around.”

The words hit him like a ton of bricks. 

Somnus had kissed Prompto. 

Kissed him.

Noctis was so stunned it didn’t register right away that Somnus had somehow got his cuffs off with a flash of red light and had taken off in a run. Ignis swore and ran to catch up, shouting for Noctis to follow. He snapped out of it and ran after them.

The hallway they ran down was dingy, lit up by a few light bulbs here and there. At one end of the corridor was another door, but Somnus had run to the left into one of the cells that lined the walls. Ignis and Noctis were close behind, but not close enough apparently.

There was a man lying on the floor, blood flowing freely from between his fingers as he clutched a wound on his side. It must have been Ardyn. The real one. That meant the blonde woman that Somnus was holding a knife to must be the Lahana that Gilgamesh had mentioned.

“Brother, give it up,” Ardyn said from the floor, every word accentuated with a gasp of pain. “There’s no way out.”

Somnus’ eyes were wild as they flicked side to side, trying to work out how to get out of the situation.

“You’re cornered,” Ignis said, holding his gun level. “Just come quietly.”

Lahana started pointendly at them for a second before she spoke up. “Somnus, no matter what you’ve done you’re still Ardyn’s brother.”

“Why does that even matter,” Somnus snarled. “Everyone always chooses Ardyn over me.”

Noctis glanced sideways at Ignis, who gave a slight nod.

“I’m sick of this shit,” Somnus said, moving his arm slightly.

Noctis threw his sword but he was a second too late. Somnus dug his dagger in and drew it across Lahana’s neck just as Noctis landed his warp directly behind him. He dropped her limp body to the floor next to Ardyn. Noctis cursed but summoned another pair of handcuffs and secured them around Somnus’ wrists.

When he looked up, Ignis was kneeling next to the woman and was trying to stem the flow of blood from her neck but it didn’t seem to be working. Somnus cackled sinisterly.

“No no no no no,” Ardyn moaned, cupping her face with his blood stained hand. “Please don’t die my love. We’re free now, don't you want to see the sun again?” 

“It's too late for me,” she choked out. The words gurgled from the blood in her throat. “Don’t let it be too late for you too. Find Gilgamesh and live.”

“I don’t want to without you,” Ardyn cried, shaking his head desperately as tears streamed down his cheeks.

She smiled softly. “You don’t have a choice. I love you, my dear.”

“I love you too,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead before she closed her eyes and took her last breath. Ardyn wailed, pulling her limp body to him and squeezing her tightly.

Somnus laughed again. “Suffered enough now?”

“Shut up,” Noctis said, shoving him towards the cell door. It was time to get this bastard to prison.

_

Somnus freely admitted to killing thirty people. He told Ignis exactly where to find his notebooks, in which he kept detailed records of everything he had done to all his victims. These records included everything; plans, surveillance pictures, photos of the bodies and even more disturbingly, locks of hair. Ignis had also quickly realised that all the records were written in the blood of the victims.

He was sent to the center for the criminally insane in Leide, the most secure facility of its kind in Lucis. There was no way he would ever leave the facility alive.

Luckily for Ardyn, the stab wound he had received from his brother was superficial. The pain of having Lahana murdered though wasn’t something that could be healed. However, Gilgamesh vowed to help his friend through it.

Noctis breathed a sigh of relief. He was locked up and couldn’t hurt anyone again.

He didn’t have an opportunity to go and visit Prompto for two whole days. He was just too busy tying up loose ends and finishing all the paperwork. The case was over officially now.

When Noctis got to Prompto’s room, he met Cor coming out of it. There were tears running down his face. Noctis’s stomach lurched, until he realised Cor was smiling. “He’s awake,” Cor breathed.

Noctis froze. “Really?”

“I was just about to call you,” Cor said, smiling widely still. 

Noctis rushed past him and opened the door. Prompto was propped upright in the bed. He looked and Noctis and gave him a sleepy smile. “Hey.”

Noctis fell to his knees by the side of the bed and took Prompto’s hand in his own and kissed it gently. “Hey yourself.”

Prompto was silent for a moment, he just looked at Noctis with a soft smile on his face. “Dad said you caught him.”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded.

“Not very talkative are you?” Prompto teased gently.

“I swear to the gods Prom if you ever scare me like that again I will kill you myself,” Noctis threatened halfheartedly.

Prompto laughed, clutching his side as he did. “That hurt, don't make me laugh again.” Noctis smiled. Oh how he’d missed the melodic sound of Prompto’s light laughter. 

“Hey, Prom.” Noctis whispered.

“Yeah?” Prompto answered, tilting his head slightly as he shot Noctis a questioning look.

Noctis smiled. “I love you.”

Prompto smiled back, his cheeks flushed. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay of this one, only excuse I have for you is that I've come down with a bad throat over this past week and since I'm such a baby whenever I'm sick I have done nothing but lay in bed feeling pity for myself. We're close to the end though! I hope you enjoyed :) - L xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! we greatly appreciate all your feedback and kudos xoxo 
> 
> follow us on Tumblr  
> [prompom](stallionduckninja.tumblr.com)  
> [lahoera](xunstable.tumblr.com)


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